LIBRARY 

University   of 

California 

'  •  -ine 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

IRVINE 

GIFT  OF 

John  Dodge 


OF 

PARADISE    VALLEY. 


HIS 

HUMOROUS,  PATHETIC  AND  TRAGIC 
ADVENTURES 


BY 
C.  M.  STEVANS. 


• 


THE  STORY 

COPIOUSLY    ILLUSTRATED. 
BY 

H.  S.  DE  LAY. 


HIS   TRAVELS 
BY 

REPRODUCTIONS  FROM  PHOTOGRPHS 

CONSTITUTING  ALMOST  A 
PICTORIAL     AMERICA. 


CHICAGO: 

RHODES  &  McCujRE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 
1900. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress  in  the  year   1900  by  the 

RHODES  &  McCLURE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  Washington,  D.  C. 

All  Rights  Reserved. 


:CONTENTS: 


CHAPTER   i.      The  Dislocated  Arm — Sent  to  the   Hospi 
tal — Saves  from  Robbery — Sent   West 17-21 


CHAPTER  2.  An  Odd  Character  at  the  Parsonage — Mrs. 
Brown  Offended — "Skinny's"  Fight — The  Parson's 
Story 21-27 


CHAPTER  3.      "Skinny"  at  Prayermeeting — At  the  Circus 
— A  Bucking  Broncho — A  Runaway 27-38 


CHAPTER  4.      A  Ranchman  and  His  Perplexing  Philoso 
phy — The  Broncho's  Tricks — "Skinny's"  Flight .  38-5 1 


CHAPTER   5.      A    Prairie    Beauty — A    Daring    Rescue — 
The    Wedding 5 1-62 


CHAPTER  6.      Lost  in  the   Bad   Lands — Meets   Bradley 
Van    Dusen 63-7 1 


CHAPTER  7.      The  Lily  of   Paradise  Valley — Search   for 
Horse-thieves 71-81 


CHAPTER  8.     Catamounts  and  Horse-thieves 81-86 

3 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  9.      Paradise    Valley    and     Plateau     Ranch — 
"Broncho  Billy"  Becomes  Master  of  the  Ranch. 86-92 


CHAPTER   10.      Chasing   Mavericks — Saves  Homer   Files 
From    Hanging 92-97 


CHAPTER  11.  The  Rescue  of  Parson  Brown — The 
Sermon  on  the  Mount — "Ten  Bar"  Starts  for  Chi 
cago  97- 1 02 


CHAPTER   12.     "Lucky  Ten  Bar  in  Chicago — Experience 
With  Young  Lady  Policeman — Police-station.  102-107 


CHAPTER  13.  A  Visit  to  the  Grand  Opera — Experience 
in  the  Bar  Room — Rescues  Tinsley,  the  Philoso 
pher  1 07 - 1 2  3 


CHAPTER    14.      South  Bound  With  a  Mexican  ..  123-134 


CHAPTER    15.      "Lucky  Ten   Bar"    in  New  Orleans — At 
the  Mint — Cemetery — Starts  for  Atlanta 134-142 


CHAPTER  16.     A  Strange  Heroine 142-147 


CHAPTER    17.      A   Negro    Not   Born  to  Be  Hanged — An 
Interrupted   Lynching 148-1  56 


CHAPTER    18.      A  Long  Way  Through   Dixie — At    Rich 
mond — Washington i  S7-~l^>9 


CHAPTER  19.      "Lucky  Ten  Bar"  at  College.  .  .  .  170-179 


CONTENTS. 


CHATER  20.      A   Comedy  in  Coal  Dust 1 79-1 87 


CHAPTER    21.      "Lucky  Ten  Bar's"  Education.  188-193 


CHAPTER    22.      "Lucky     Ten     Bar's"     Experience     as 
Editor 1 93-203 


CHAPTER  23.      Speculation  and  a  Love  Affair ..  203-212 


CHAPTER  24.     A  Double  Wedding 21 3-2 1 7 


CHAPTER  25.      A  Cowboy  in  Society 218-222 


CHAPTER  26.     All  Around  New   York — At  the   "Statue 
of  Liberty" — Vanderbilt's    Mansion 223-228 


CHAPTER  27.     A  Case  of  Nerve — At  Newport ..  229-232 


CHAPTER  28.      In  the  "Swim"  At  Newport — At  the  Ball 
—  Saratogo  —  Niagara     Falls  —  Toronto  —  Thousand 
Islands  —  Kingston  —  Lachine    Rapids  —  Montreal  — 
Quebec-Mount  Washington-Portland-Boston  232-248 


CHAPTER  29.  Westward,  Ho! — Goes  to  Albany — Cat- 
skill  Mountains — Grant's  Tomb — Philadelphia-Horse 
shoe  Bend — Johnstown — Pittsburg — Cincinnati — St. 
Louis 248-2  5  5 


CHAPTER   30.      Reach    Kansas  City — Goes  to  Denver- 
Pike's  Peak 256-267 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  31.  At  Salt  Lake  City — Mormon  Temple— 
Brigharn  Young's  Grave — San  Francisco — Leland 
Stanford  University — Portland — Yellowstone  Park  — 
Deadwood — Paradise  Valley  at  Last 267-279 


:  ILLUSTRATIONS: 

FROM   DRAWINGS  BY  H.  S.   DE  LAY. 


OPPOSITE  PAGE 

"What's  the  matter  little  man  ?"  asked  the  policeman 

not    unkindly 17 

The  parson's   story 21 

"Come  and  try  it"  sneered  the  boss 27 

"Answer  me  this  question  yes  or  no,    have   you   de 
cided  to  quit  beating  your  father  ?" 38 

The  box  came  to  the  surface  with  Homer  Files  hold 
ing  in  his  arms  the  unconscious  form  of  Phil  Morris  51 
He  got  off  his  broncho  and  examined  one  of  them.  .  65 
He  dismounted  and  saluted  her  in  his   most   courtly 

fashion 71 

Mr.    Frams 75 

"Hello  Billy"  cried  Sergeand  Wiley,  "have  you  done 

up   Deadwood   already  ? 76 

Before    the    beast    that    he    had    come    to    kill    he 

crouched   in   terror 8 1 

Bradley  van  Dusen  gave  a  gasp  when  he  saw  the  card  86 
"What    is    your  name,  sir?"  he    asked   of   the    man 

about  to  be  launched  into  eternity 92 

She  threw  her  arms  around  Lucky  Ten  Bar's   neck.  97 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Turning  he  beheld  a  woman  under  the  glare  of  the 

electric  light 102 

"Here"  he  said,  touching  her  on  the  bear  shoulder 
with  the  cold  muzzle  of  his  six  shooter,  "shell  out 

your  stolen   goods" 107 

Before  the  arched  entrance  sat  a  grizzled  old  man.    134 
The  young  man  in  black  skull  cap  seized  her  about 

the  waist  and  sprang  from  the   track 142 

A  moment  more  and  a  dozen  horsemen  came  to  view    148 
At  the  depot  in  Sunset  he  was  met  by  Helen  Wisner 

and  her  mother 157 

She  came  tripping  along  the  path 170 

He  turned  indolently.     Lucky  Ten  Bar  stood  in  the 

middle  of  the  room  a  sorry  sight  indeed 179 

She  would  take  him  into  the  office,    close   the  door, 
where    undisturbed  she  could   talk  to  him  about 

his  welfare 1 88 

He  pictured  in  dramatic  frenzy   the  mesmerizing  of 

the  Czar 193 

Doctor  Vartow 203 

"Then  you  are  little  Skinny"  she  whispered 213 

The  blissful  solitude  in  which  two  are  all  the  universe  2 1 8 
ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS. 

ARIZONA. 

Hunters  at  rest  (Frontis  piece) 

Canon  de  Chelly 1 8 

Grand  canon  and  Colorado  River 22 

Hand  rock,  Canon  de   Chelly 24 

CALIFORNIA. 

Orange  packing,  Los  Angeles 28 

Seal  Rock  near  San   Francisco 30 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


North  and  South  Domes,  Yosemite  Valley 32 

Yosemite   Valley 34 

Magnolia  Ave. ,  Riverside 36 

Yosemite   Falls 40 

Entrance  to  Golden    Gate  near  San  Francisco  ...  42 

Seal  Rock,  Faranlone    Island 44 

Old  Mission  House,  Santa   Barbara 44 

Chinese  cleaning  salmon 46 

Calaveras  Grove 48 

Indian  woman  cleaning  salmon 52 

CANADA. 

Niagara  Falls  as  viewed  from   Canada  side 54 

Baptiste,  the  old  Indian  pilot 56 

In  Thousand  Islands,   St.  Lawrence  River 58 

In  Lachine  Rapids,  St.  Lawrence  River 60 

Big  John  and  party  shooting  Lachine  Rapids.  ...  64 

Victoria  Brigade  from  steamer,    Montreal 66 

Snow-shoe-meet,   Montreal 68 

Quebec  from  Point   Levis 72 

Montmorency  Falls,  Quebec 78 

Montmorency  Falls  in  winter,  Quebec 82 

Monument  of  Wolfe  and  Montcalm,  Quebec 84 

Ottawa,  from  Rideau  Falls 88 

Trapping  the  Carcajou 90 

Hereford  cattle,  Silver  Heights,    Winnipeg 93 

Ploughing  and  threshing,    Manitoba 98 

Pisquapita,  Cree  Indian,   Galgary 100 

Cree  Squaw  with  papoose  on  back,   Galgary 104 

Yale,  B.    C 108 

COLORADO. 

Pike's  Peak   railway 1 10 


IO  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Burro  and  load 1 10 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 

United  States  Treasury  building 112 

Corcoran  Art  Gallery 115 

ILLINOIS. 

Elevators  and  shipping i  16 

Haymarket  Square,  Chicago I  1 8 

Field's  Columbian  Museum,  World's  Fair  Grounds, 

Chicago •  •  •  • i  20 

INDIAN  TERRITORY. 

Cheyenne  Camp 123 

Trapping  the   Beaver 124 

The  old  trapper 126 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

Harvard  College,    Cambridge 128 

Bunker  Hill   Monument,  Charlestown 130 

Paul  Revere's  House,    Boston 132 

Daniel  Webster's  Statue,   Boston 132 

Faneuil  Hall,  square  and  market,  Boston 136 

Beacon  Street,   Boston 138 

MISCELANEOUS. 

Battle  between  Utes  and  Comanches 140 

Apache    Braves 1 44 

Deer  by  moonlight 1 46 

'la-her-ye-qua-hip,  or  Horse  Back's  Camp 150 

Apache,   Black  Hawk's  Camp 152 

Indian  Camp  on  the  Nez  Perce  Reservation i  54 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

Tip  Top  House,  Summit  of  Mt.  Washington  ....  258 

Jacob's  Ladder,  Mt.  Washington 260 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  I  I 


NEW  MEXICO. 

Navajo  Church,  near  Fort  Wingate 158 

Pueblo 1 60 

Zuni  Cooking   Place 162 

NEW  YORK. 

View  of  Broadway  near  City  Hall,  New  York  City  164 
Risidence  corner  of  Ffth  Ave.,  and  Fifty-seventh 

St.,  N.  Y.   City 1 66 

Residence  corner  of  Fifth  Ave.,  and  Fifty-seventh 

St.,  N.  Y.   City 1 66 

Grant's   Monument 172 

Angel  Fountain,  Central  Park,    New  York   City.  .  104 
Washington's  Headquarters  at  Newburgh    on    the 

Hudson   River 1 76 

Old  Manor  Hall  on  the  Hudson   River,    Yonkers.  180 
Residence   of  Washington  Irving   on   the    Hudson 

River,   Tarrytown 182 

Cadet's  Camp,  West   Point I  84 

Monument  to  Andre's  Capture,   Tarrytown 166 

Across  the  Hudson  from  Gen.  Grant's  Tomb.  .  .  .  190 

Capital  Building,   Albany 194 

Vassar  College,  Poughkeepsie 196 

House  where    Grant    died   called   Grant  Cottage, 

Mt.   McGregor 1 98 

NEVADA. 

Paradise  Valley,  Annette  Lake  and  Mount  Temple  200 

Mt.  Sheol,  Paradise  Valley 204 

Hunter's  Camp  near  Paradise  Valley 206 

OREGON. 

Portland  and  Mt.  Hood  .  .  268 


12  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Mtiltnomah  Falls.     Over  800  feet  high,  Columbia 

River 210 

View  on  the  railroad  in  Oregon 214 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

Columbus'  Statue,  Fairmount  Park,    Philadelphia  216 

Home  of  William  Penn,    Philadelphia 220 

General  View  from  across  the  Monongahela  River, 

Pittsburg 222 

General  View  of  Homestead 224 

Carnegie  Mills,  Homestead 226 

RHODE  ISLAND. 

Old  Mill,    Newport 220 

Cottage  at   Newport 230 

LOUISIANNA. 

French  Market,  New  Orleans 232 

Metairie  Cemetary,  New  Orleans 234 

Steamship  loading  with  cotton,  New  Orleans.  .  .  .  236 

Oyster  Luggar  Landing,  New  Orleans 238 

Working  in  the  cotton   field 240 

The  colored  elder 242 

UTAH. 

Eagle  Rock,  Rio  Virgin 244 

Brigham  Young  and  his  wives 246 

Mormon  Temple,  Salt  Lake  City 248 

The  Amelia  Palace,  Salt  Lake  City 250 

Lion  and  Beehive  Houses,  Salt  Lake   City 250 

Grave  of  Brigham  Young,  Salt  Lake  City 252 

Interior  of  Mormon  Temple,  Salt  Lake   City.  ...  252 

Cascade,  Bullion  Canon 254 

Temple  Block,  Salt  Lake  City 256 

Saltair  Beach  and  pavillion,  Salt  Lake  City 256 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  13 


VIRGINIA. 

Washington's  Home,  Mt.  Vernon 262 

Residence  of  Gen.  Lee 264 

Confederate  Monument,    Richmond 267 

Washington's  Headquarters,  Richmond 268 

Statue  of  Washington,  Richmond 270 

Statue  of  Gen.  Lee,  Richmond 272 

St.  John's  Church,   Richmond 274 

Residence  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  Richmond.  .  276 

WYOMING. 

Jupiter  Terrace,  Yellowstone  Park 278 

Grotto  Geyser,  Yellowstone  Park 280 

Gibbon  Falls,  84  feet,  Yellowstone  Park 282 

Castle  Geyser,  Yellowstone  Park 284 

Lone  Star  Geyser  in  action,  Yellowstone  Park.  .  .  286 
Entrance   to    Golden   Gate    Canyon,  Yellowstone 

Park 288 

Yellowstone  River  above  Falls,  Yellowstone  Park  290 

Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  Yellowstone  Park 292 

Yellowstone  Lake,  Yellowstone  Park 294 

Upper  falls  on  the  Yellowstone,  Yellowstone  Park  296 
Grand   Canyon  of   the   Yellowstone,  Yellowstone 

Park 298 

Golden  Gate  Canyon,  Yellowstone  Park 300 


'WHAT'S  THE  MATTER  LITTE  MAN?"  SAID   THE    POLICEMAN  NOT 
UNKINDLY.  See  Page  17. 


LUCKY  rE  N  BAR 

Slum — Ranch — and  Society. 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE    DISLOCATED    ARM SAVES    FROM   ROBBERY 

SENT     WEST. 


"Hofficer!  Dere's  summut  de  matter  wid  Skinny.  His 
arm's  loose.  " 

A  mite  of  a  girl  in  a  stringy  dress  of  undiscoverable 
hue  and  quality  pushed  a  mite  of  a  boy  in  still  more 
uncouth  garments  around  the  corner  of  the  bar  where 
the  policeman  was  taking  a  friendly  glass  with  his  patron, 
the  ward-heeler. 

Skinny's  left  arm  dangled  at  his  side  like  a  string, 
as  with  his  right  hand  he  wiped  the  tears  in  long  streaks 
over  his  face. 

"What's  the  matter,  little  man,"  said  the  policeman 
not  unkindly  as  he  examined  the  injured  arm  and  found 
it  dislocated  at  the  shoulder.  "How'd  ye  get  hurted?" 

"I  knows,"  eagerly  answered  the  little  girl  as  Skinny 
hung  his  head  without  answering.  "Skinny  hated  to 
tell  on  Dirty  Dick  'cause  he  guv  Skinny  dis  coat  when  it 
wuz  cold." 

"Yes  Sally  knows,"  affirmed  Skinny.  "She  seed  'im 
yank  me,  an'  it  hurted,  an'  I  yelled,  an'  now  it  wont  do 
nothin'  but  hurt." 

07) 


1 8  SAVES    FROM    ROBBERY. 

"What'ud  Dirty  Dick  yank  ye  fur?"  asked  the  ward- 
heeler,  who  was  becoming  interested. 

"Cause  'e  put  a  stick  'tween  Dick's  knee  an'  run 
aroun',"  answered  Sally  for  her  companion. 

"What'ud  ye  do  dat  fur,  Skinny?"  asked  the  officer. 

"He  hired  me  to  pretend  hurt  in  de  blind  ally  by  de 
basement  steps,  so's  to  get  a  fly  dresser  lookin'  'round. 
De  soft  guy  gimme  quarter  and'  Dirty  Dick  wur  goin' 
ter  swipe  'im  on  the  head  fer  more,  when  I  twisted  his 
legs  wid  de  stick.  So  Dirty  Dick  missed  de  kid,  den 
kicked  me  over,  yanked  my  arm,  an'  run  wid  de  kid 
yellin'  fer  perlice." 

Only  two  blocks  away  could  be  seen  the  towering 
walls  of  Bellevue  hospital  and  the  officer  started  away 
with  Skinny  followed  by  the  little  waifs  sympathetic 
companion. 

"What  become  of  the  boy  that  you  saved  from  being 
robbed  ?"  asked  the  officer. 

"He  gumme  a  card  an'  said  call  on  his  fadder  for  re 
ward,"  said  Skinny,  drawing  forth  a  business  card  from 
the  lining  of  his  coat. 

But  the  policeman  did  not  look  at  it. 

"Here,  Sally,  you  can  have  half  of  it,"  said  Skinny, 
generously  tearing  it  in  two  and  giving  one  part  to  his 
diminutive  friend.  Sally  took  the  bit  of  pasteboard  and 
stowed  it  away  in  one  of  the  many  convolutions  of  her 
dress.  Skinny  returned  his  to  the  ragged  receptacle  of 
his  coat. 

At  the  door  of  the  public  clinic  of  Bellevue,  Sally 
was  turned  away  weeping  bitterly  notwithstanding  the 
vigorous  protests  of  Skinny  that  his  little  companion 


SENT    WEST.  19 


must  go  where  he  went  or  he  would  not  go.  But  he  was 
hustled  inside  and  taken  charge  of  by  one  of  the  attend 
ant  surgeons. 

"Don't  cry,  my  boy,"  said  the  surgeon  as  Skinny 
suddenly  broke  into  a  pitiful  wail.  "We  wont  hurt 
you." 

"It's  not  dat,"  said  Skinny  suddenly  ceasing  and 
wiping  his  eyes  vigorously,  "it's  not  dat.  Sally's  got  de 
littlest  part  of  de  reward  an'  I  wanted  her  to  have  de 
biggest  piece." 

But  the  doctor  did  not  understand  and  Skinny  was 
hurried  on. 

"What  is  your  address  little  man  ?"  inquired  the  clerk 
recording  the  case. 

"In  Granny  Dugan's  paper  pile." 

"Not  very  definite,"  laughed  the  clerk. 

"Then  where  do  you  eat  ?"  inquired  the  man  at  the 
desk. 

"Outen  de  free  lunch  cans." 

"Another  child  of  the  garbage,"  exclaimed  the  clerk, 
"which  the  city  is  training  up  to  prey  on  society."  It  is 
a  good  case  for  the  society  that  is  securing  homes  in  the 
West  for  the  city's  waifs.  I  will  turn  the  case  over  to 
them." 

Skinny's  arm  was  soon  set  and  in  two  or  three  days 
a  carriage  called  for  him.  He  was  taken  to  new  quar 
ters  where  the  kindness  of  those  in  charge  was  as  a  reve 
lation  of  something  new  in  the  world.  A  month  later 
there  were  a  hundred  slum  children  and  unclaimed  waifs 
of  the  asylum  being  made  ready  for  some  stupendous 
change.  They  were  all  marched  out  of  the  yard  together 


2O  SAVES    FROM    ROBBERY. 

in  soldierly  order  to  the  street  where  carry-alls  were 
waiting  to  take  them  to  the  Twenty-third  street  ferry. 
It  was  a  restless  and  noisy  crowd  attracting  the  attention 
of  everybody  until  they  were  marched  aboard  a  car  that 
was  waiting  for  their  especial  service. 

During  all  this  period  Skinny  was  very  subdued  and 
sad,  not  that  he  was  compelled  for  so  long  a  time  to 
wear  his  arm  suspended  from  his  neck  instead  of  from 
his  shoulder,  but  because  he  so  sorely  missed  his  sympa 
thetic  little  playmate. 

"Aint  ye  never  goin'  ter  let  me  see  Sally?"  he  repeat 
edly  asked  in  desperation,  but  his  inquiry  only  caused 
rude  jokes  to  be  flung  at  him  about  his  slum  sweetheart 
till  he  ceased  to  ask  and  only  planned  to  escape  from  his 
kind  but  unsympathetic  and  thoughtless  friends.  When 
the  ferry  boat  left  the  dock  and  started  across  the  Hud 
son  river  to  the  Jersey  shore,  he  found  solace  in  uttering 
a  sturdy  vow.  "When  I  am  a  man,"  he  repeated  over 
and  over  again,  "I'll  come  back  and  give  Sally  the  big 
part  of  the  reward  and  lots  of  de  dough,  too  !" 

Even  the  vows  of  a  seven-year-old  boy  may  be  kept, 
and  this  was  singularly  so.  He  felt  in  the  pockets  of 
the  bright,  clean  clothing  that  had  been  given  him  and 
drew  forth  the  part  of  the  business  card  which  he  be 
lieved  to  be  in  some  way  a  valuable  reward  for  the  ser 
vices  he  had  done  the  well-dressed  boy  whom  he  had 
saved  from  being  robbed.  Then  to  keep  the  card  be 
coming  soiled  he  wrapped  it  carefully  in  a  bit  of  white 
paper  and  tucked  it  away  as  a  most  precious  possession 
connected  with  a  solemn  vow  and  duty. 

Meantime  Sally  had  hung  about   the  doors  and  gates 


THE  PARSON'S  STORY.  See  Pege  25 


SENT    WEST.  21 


of  Bellevue  hospital  hoping  to  find  out  what  had  become 
of  her  playmate,  but  the  forbidding  walls  and  unsympa 
thetic  attendants  gave  her  no  answer.  She  besieged  the 
policeman,  but  he  could  tell  her  nothing. 

"Is  Skinny  sent  to  de  locker?"  she  inquired.  "Is 
Skinny  dead  and  put  away  ?" 

The  policeman  became  impatient. 

"Ah  go  along  wid  yer  palaver  'bout  Skinny,"  he  an 
swered  at  last.  ''He's  shook  ye  an'  gone  out  West  to 
grow  up  with  the  country.  He's  gone  fer  good,  he'll 
never  come  back  here.  " 

"He  will,  he  will,"  screamed  Sally,  shaking  her  fist 
at  the  evil  prophet.  "He  will  come  back." 

Then  Sally  went  away  to  cry  about  it. 

"I'll  keep  this  reward  for  him  when  he  comes  back," 
she  said,  taking  the  piece  of  card  Skinny  had  given  her 
from  her  pocket  and  looking  at  it  tenderly.  "He  guv  it 
to  me  an'  I'll  keep  it  for  'im." 


CHAPTER  II. 


AN    ODD    CHARACTER    AT    THE    PARSONAGE. 


"So  you've  been  indulging  in  some  more  crazy  ben 
evolence  have  you?"  inquired  Parson  Brown's  wife  in  a 
tone  not  altogether  befitting  the  meek  and  lowly  women, 
who  was  accustomed  to  minister  with  such  saintly  pa 
tience  to  the  poor  and  afflicted  of  the  neighborhood. 
"Law  me,  as  if  we  didn't  have  cares  enough  already 
with  the  trying  duties  besetting  our  path.  So  you've 


22  AN    ODD  CHARACTER 

brought  home  a  boy  to  raise!  Why  didn't  you  get  a  girl? 
Boys  are  bad  enough  at  the  best,  goodness  only  knows." 

Parson  Brown  never  stirred  from  his  chair  or  spoke. 
His  parchment-like  face  was  expressionless.  The  little 
boy  stood  against  the  wall  near  the  door  and  stared  at  the 
scolding  women. 

"What's  yonr  name,  sir?"  she  asked  peremptorily 
addressing  him. 

"Skinny,"  he  answered  straightening  up  and  placing 
his  arm  akimbo  in  a  defiant  attitude. 

Parson  Brown's  wife  stared  for  a  moment  as  if 
shocked  and  then  ejaculated,  "well,  you  look  it!' 

"I  didn't  ask  for  your  nom  de  plume,"  she  continued, 
"I  asked  for  your  Christian  name." 

Skinny  was  silent  and  Parson  Brown  looked  nervous. 

"Haven't  you  a  decent  name?"  she  persisted. 

"De  name's  good  ernough  for  me,  an'  it's  got  ter 
go,  see?" 

Skinny  struck  a  bowery  attitude  calculated  in  times 
past  to  keep  even  Dirty  Dick  at  a  respectful  distance. 

Good  Mrs.  Brown  collapsed. 

"Dreadfull,  dreadfull!"  she  at  last  found  voice  to  ex 
claim.  "Isaac,  he  will  demoralise  the  town." 

Saluda  was  not  much  of  a  town,  but  such  as  it  was 
it  required  all  the  energy  of  Parson  Brown  and  his  wife 
to  keep  it  in  the  straight  and  narrow  path.  How  could 
they  be  guilty  of  introducing  this  unregenerated  little 
pest  into  the  bosom  of  the  community?  As  these 
thoughts  struck  her,  the  good  women  looked  aghast  at 
the  Parson. 

"My  boy,"  said  the   Parson,    "you    may  go  out   into 


GRAND  CANON  AND  COLORADO  RIVER,  ARIZONA. 


24  AN    ODD    CHARACTER 

They  found  Deacon  Jones'  fourteen  year  old  son  doubled 
up  in  a  heap  on  the  ground.  Skinny  stood  near  with 
his  hands  on  his  hips  and  his  head  bent  over  until  his 
chin  rested  on  his  chest. 

"In  the  name  of  mercy,"  cried  Mrs.  Brown  as  she 
saw  the  son  of  the  most  liberal  member  of  their  church 
groaning  on  the  ground,  "what  has  happened?" 

Skinny  straightened  up. 

He  wur  joshin'  me,  ma'am,  an'  I  landed  in  his  solar 
plexus." 

Henry  Jones  arose  with  his  hands  pressed  tightly  up 
on  his  stomach.  Mrs.  Brown  put  her  arm  around  him. 
'  "What  did  the  bad  boy  do  to  you?"  she  asked  sym 
pathetically. 

Henry  began  to  cry. 

•'I  seen  him  here  and  I  just  come  in  and  asked  him 
his  name  and  he  told  me  and  I  laughed  an  he  told  me  to 
close  up.  Then  I  asked  him  if  you  \vuz  his  mother  and 
he  just  come  agin  me  like  a  billy  goat." 

"So  this  is  the  little  Satan  you  have  brought  into  our 
home  to  destroy  our  peace  aiid  reputation,"  she  cried 
turning  fiercely  upon  Parson  Brown.  "How  can  any  of 
our  congregation  again  stick  their  noses  into  our  yard 
with  this  Skinny  little  fiend  around  to  endanger  life  and 
morals?" 

"My  dear, "  said  the  mellow-tongued  Parson,"  in  a 
few  days,  under  your  gentle  influence  and  Christian 
ministration  I  expect  to  see  a  marvellous  change  in  this 
untutored  child  of  the  slums.  Nay,  I  can  not  doubt 
that  the  conversion  will  be  so  miraculous  as  to  be  the 
inspiration  of  all  the  people  from  far  around.  We  can 


HAND  ROCK,  CANON  DE  CHELLY,   ARIZONA. 


26  AN    ODD    CHARACTER 

to  do  in  life  than  to  spend  my  time  and  sense  and 
energy  quarreling  with  people  about  their  foolishness." 

So,  as  I  said,  one  clay  these  twin  brothers  saw  through 
a  knot-hole  in  a  high  board  fence  a  wonderful  game  of  ball, 
where  thousands  of  people  were  sitting  around  on  stair 
step  benches  watching  in  great  excitement  every  move 
of  the  players.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  wrangling 
and  quarreling,  but  every  dispute  was  referred  to  one 
man  for  settlement.  He  didn't  allow  any  foolishness 
around  him,  and  whenever  any  one  annoyed,  disputed  or 
interrupted  him,  he  slapped  the  foolish  fellow's  face  or 
caught  him  by  the  collar  and  shook  him  till  he  prom 
ised  to  behave  himself. 

One  of  the  twin  brothers  peeping  through  the  knot 
hole  thought  this  righting  fellow  was  the  greatest  hero  he 
ever  saw  and  resolved  to  be  like  him  and  show  the  world 
that  he  would  severely  punish  any  foolishness  that 
should  dare  to  take  place  around  him. 

"But  as  the  play  progressed,  the  boys  could  see 
through  the  knot-hole  that  the  people  were  becoming  more 
and  more  excited  and  the  quarrels  and  rights  were  get 
ting  worse  and  worse  until  at  last  the  fighting  man  was 
put  out  and  another  man  was  selected  to  decide  disputes. 

From  that  time  on  everything  went  smoothly  on  in 
the  game.  To  be  sure  the  people  yelled  and  the  by 
standers  and  players  wrangled,  disputed  and  quarreled 
for  some  time  as  before,  annoying  and  interrupting  him 
as  much  as  possible,  but  he  didn't  waste  any  of  his 
strength  on  them  or  pay  any  more  attention  to  them 
than  if  they  were  flies  trying  to  crawl  through  a  window 
pane,  or  little  dogs  barking  through  the  cracks  of  a  ten 


"COME   ON    AND    TRY    IT"    SNEERED    THE    BOSS.       See  Page  34. 


AT    THE    PARSONAGE. 


foot  fence.  He  didn't  belittle  himself  by  wasting  any 
of  his  time  on  the  foolishness  or  silly  conduct  of  others. 
He  applied  all  his  sense  and  energy  to  his  work,  and 
pretty  soon  nobody  disputed  him  and  he  had  everything 
his  own  way. 

"This  was  the  man  that  the  other  one  of  the  twin 
brothers  admired.  He  resolved  to  lose  no  time  on 
foolishness,  but  to  stick  to  his  work.  That  was  the 
great  unseen  difference  between  the  two  boys.  One 
spent  his  life  quarreling  and  fighting  at  last  dying  miser 
ably;  the  other  lost  no  time  on  such  foolishness  and  so 
prospered  and  at  last  died  full  of  honer.  " 

"Hi,  yi,"  cried  Skinny  jerking  Henry's  foot  around 
so  that  the  boy  fell  back  on  the  grass.  "I  tumble  to  de 
story.  Youse  de  foolishness  an'  Ise  not  got  any  time 
wid  ye.  Go  home  to  yer  mamy." 

Henry  needed  no.  second  invitation,  but  ran  out  of 
the  yard  and  down  the  walk  to  his  house  spreading  the 
news  that  a  devilish  imp  named  Skinny  had  come  to 
live  at  Parson  Brown's. 


CHAPTER   III. 


AT    THE    CIRCUS A    BUCKING    BRONCHO A  RUNAWAY. 


"So  you  think  you're  going  to  make  a  Christian  child 
out  of  that  little  heathen  by  turning  our  woodshed  into  a 


28  THE    CIRCUS, 

playhouse  that  you  call  a  workshop,  do  you?"  said  Mrs. 
Brown  in  contemptuous  sarcasm  as  she  peaked  her  nose 
into  the  door  and  sniffed  disdainfully  at  the  carpet  of 
shavings  on  the  floor.  "You  must  have  spent  five  dol 
lars  already  of  our  hard-earned  money  in  buying  ham 
mers,  chisels  and  saws." 

"O  Mornmer,"  interrupted  Skinny,  "Jes  look  ahine 
ye,  on  de  door  fer  de  inotter  whut  de  Posson  guv  me. 
We  sticks  by  dat.  Ain't  I  learnin'  spellin'  and  writin' 
fast?" 

The  Parson  and  his  wife  looked  at  the  door  and  Mrs. 
Brown  gasped  for  breath.  There  in  a  miserable  scrawl 
but  easily  readable  were  the  words  : 

"NO  FULESHNUS  GOZ  WID  US  SEE. 
ME  AN  DE  POSSON  IS  O  K.        GIT." 

And  Mrs.  Brown  got.  She  shook  her  skirts  with  a 
righteous  shiver  and  departed  with  a  groan. 

"Now  I  contend,"  continued  Mrs.  Brown  at  the  first 
opportunity,  "that  if  that  child  can't  be  reached  by 
prayer,  he  is  lost.  Deacon  Jones  thinks  the  same  thing. 
I  mean  to  take  him  to-night  with  me  to  Deacon  Jones' 
house  and  see  what  can  be  done  for  him." 

Parson  Brown  looked  troubled,  but  before  the  hour 
for  the  meeting  he  took  Skinny  aside  and  said,  "My  son, 
would  you  do  something  for  me  ?" 

"Would  I  ?"  cried  Skinny.  "Just  you  shoot  it  out 
and  gimme  a  whack  at  it." 

"Mother  Brown — 

Skinny  shook  his  head. 

"Dat  don't  go  wid  Skinny,"  he  averred  emphatically. 

"Mrs.  Brown,"   he   began   again,    "wants   you  to  go 


A    BUCKING    BRONCHO,     AND    A    RUNAWAY.  2Q 

with  her  to-night  to  a  prayer  meeting  at  Deacon  Jones'. 
I  want  you  to  go  with  her.  Don't  say  a  word  to  any 
body,  and  for  once,  at  least,  act  just  as  she  tells  you. 
Except  that  if  anyone  asks  you  what  your  name  is,  say 
that  it  is  William  Brown." 

"Dat's  a  hard  un,  Posson,"  said  Skinny,  "but  I'll  do 
it.  Shake." 

Skinny  stuck  out  his  hand,  which  under  Mrs.  Brown's 
frequent  scrubbings  had  begun  to  look  white.  Parson 
Brown  took  the  little  hand  and  shook  it  warmly  in  token 
of  the  compact. 

So  docile  was  little  William  Brown  as  the  Parson's 
wife  lead  him  along  to  the  prayer  meeting,  that  she  be 
gan  to  fee/  half  proud  of  him.  She  knew  that  half  the 
village  boys  stood  in  awe  of  him  and  the  postmaster  had 
told  her  that  Skinny  was  as  quick  as  a  singed  cat,  implying 
that  to  be  as  quick  as  a  singed^cat  was  something  highly 
meritorious  and  commendable.  So  many  said  that  he 
was  as  bright  as  a  dollar  and  smart  as  a  whip  that  she 
began  to  believe  in  spite  of  herself  that  after  all  there 
might  be  something  of  value  in  the  little  heathen.  At 
least  there  were  evidently  other  persons  who  thought  so. 
But  that  night  she  came  from  the  meeting  into  the  good 
parson's  study  in  a  state  of  nervous  prostration  border 
ing  on  hysterics. 

Skinny  followed  her  into  the  room  and  backed  up 
against  the  wall  near  the  desk. 

"Ise  done  de  job,  Posson,"  he  said  complacently. 
"Does  I  git  de  honrible  discharge  ?" 

"He's  hopeless,"  wailed   Mrs.   Brown  sinking  into  a 


30  THE    CIRCUS, 

chair  at  the  Parson's  elbow.  "He's  a  living  example  of 
the  wisdom  of  Solomon.  He  has  never  felt  the  rod  and 
he  is  spoiled  already  beyond  redemption.  He's  as  set  in 
his  ways  as  if  he  were  ninety  years  old,  though  he  has 
probably  not  yet  turned  the  first  nine  of  them." 

"What  is  the  matter  now?"  asked  the  Parson  not 
appearing  to  be  greatly  disturbed. 

"I  have  wasted  enough  words,"  answered  the  worried 
women.  "Deacon  Jones  will  talk  with  you  about  it 
and  voice  the  sense  of  the  meeting  and  the  sentiments  of 
the  church." 

"Posson,"  interrupted  Skinny,  "ef  dey  gits  after  ye 
too  hard  jes  call  on  me.  We  kin  lick  'em!  Ise  mighty 
woosy  jes  now,  an'  I  guess  I'll  pile  into  de  bunk." 

Skinny  went  to  his  bed  room. 

"What  did  the  boy  do?"  asked  Mr.  Brown. 

"Do!"  exclaimed  his  wife  energetically.  Then  she 
gasped  as  if  unable  to  find  words  to  express  what  he  did. 
At  last  she  rallied. 

"The  very  first  thing  when  we  went  in,  why  sister 
Anderson  she  asked  him  his  name  and  he  said,  "William 
Brown  Nit."  It  sounded  awful  and  everybody  was 
shocked." 

"O  you  didn't  understand,"  said  the  Parson  answer 
ing  to  make  light  of  the  enormous  offence.  "The  word 
"nit"  is  pagan  for  the  English  word  not.  It  was  his 
protest  against  the  name  William.  He  thinks  Skinny 
is  good  enough." 

"That  wasn't  all,"  continued  Mrs.  Brown  in  fine 
indignation.  "When  I  set  him  down  in  a  chair  at  the 
meeting,  he  staid  there  till  I  told  him  to  kneel  down, 


A    BUCKING    BRONCHO,     AND    A    RUNAWAY.  31 

and  when  he  knelt  down  he  staid  there  till  I  told  him  to 
get  up,  and  when  he  got  up  he  staid  there  until  I  told 
him  to  sit  down,  and  when  he  sat  down  he  staid  there 
like  carved  out  of  a  rock.  When  I  told  him  to  shake 
hands  with  sister  Anderson  he  shook  hands  until  I  or 
dered  him  to  quit.  When  invitation  was  extended  for 
everybody  to  speak  I  asked  him  if  he  couldn't  say  some 
thing  for  the  Lord  and  he  said  right  out  before  every 
body:  "Dat's  not  in  de  job.  'Sides  de  Posson  said  fer 
me  not  to  speak  to  anybody. 

"You  can  see  that  he  belongs  to  the  state  reform 
school  and  not  to  us, "  added  Mrs.  Brown  as  she  flounced 
out  of  the  room  in  righteous  indignation. 

The  next  clay  Deacon  Jones  called  on  the  pastor  and 
they  were  closeted  together  an  hour  or  more.  What 
passed  between  them  is  not  generally  known,  but  in  the 
course  of  a  fortnight  a  call  came  to  the  pastor  from 
Chadron,  Nebraska,  and  in  a  few  weeks  more  to  the 
sorrow  of  Mrs.  Brown  they  were  bag  and  baggage  with 
Skinny  on  the  train  enroute  to  the  new  ministerial 
charge. 

In  this  Western  town,  then  on  the  far  frontier,  there 
were  all  kinds  of  persons  from  all  points  of  the  compass 
There  were  no  such  closely  drawn  moral  and  religious 
lines  as  made  Skinny  so  uncongenial  a  personage  as  at  the 
village  of  Saluda.  Skinny  became  somewhat  reconciled 
to  the  name  William  Brown,  and  he  began  to  appreciate 
the  bigness  of  the  world.  Under  the  carefull  and  pa 
tient  tutelage  of  Parson  Brown,  William  began  to  take 
on  a  certain  air  of  culture  and  upper  civilization.  But 
he  could  never  get  into  close  friendship  with  Mrs.  Brown 


32  THE    CIRCUS. 


and  therefor  could  never  sympathize  with  her  religious 
views.  She  spent  half  the  energy  of  her  life  trying  to 
bring  him  under  the  restrictions  of  her  plan  of  propriety 
about  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brown  gave  surprisingly  little 
concern.  He  evidently  did  not  consider  it  suitable  pro 
vender  for  boys,  especially  not  for  Skinny. 

Comparatively  speaking  Skinny  was  becoming  pol 
ished.  His  mottoe  was  now:  "Dodge  the  foolish  and 
chase  the  wise."  "That's  why  I  freeze  to  the  Parson 
and  fly  from  the  Parsoness,"  he  explained. 

About  the  time  when  William  Brown  had  become 
reconciled  to  his  name  and  had  probably  passed  his 
thirteenth  year,  with  a  head  on  his  shoulders  several 
years  older,  the  Parson  concluded  that  the  boy  had  be 
come  civilized  enough  to  be  intrusted  to  the  public 
schools.  He  had  already  made  such  rapid  progress  un 
der  the  Parson's  care  that  he  was  not  far  behind  other 
boys  of  his  age  in  book  learning,  but  the  proposition  to 
go  to  school  struck  the  boy  with  much  the  same  horror 
as  a  sentence  to  jail.  However  the  first  few  days  passed 
off  uneventfully,  though  none  the  less  intolerably  to  the 
young  scion  of  unrestrained  liberty. 

The  flaming  posters  of  the  first  circus  that  had  ever 
honored  the  town  added  to  the  discontent  from  the  fact 
that  the  great  event  was  to  be  held  on  a  schoolday,  and 
Mrs.  Brown  set  her  foot  down  squarely  on  the  pro 
position  that  the  parsonage  should  be  disgraced  by 
William  Brown  being  allowed  to  attend.  William 
Brown  brooded  over  this  new  piece  of  villany  on  the 
part  of  Mrs.  Brown.  So  the  uncivilized  spirit  of  Skinny 
got  possession  of  William  Brown  and  he  resolved  to  go. 


A    BUCKING    BRONCHO,    AND    A    RUNAWAY.  33 

Friday  afternoon  Skinny's  seat  in  school  was  empty, 
and  William  Brown  was  marked  absent  without  excuse. 
There  were  in  fact  only  two  or  three  boys  in  the  house, 
for  the  irrepressible  son  of  the  Parson  had  organized  a 
stampede  of  truants.  Under  his  generalship  they  all  got 
into  the  tent  regardless  of  funds  and  witnessed  the 
gorgeous  spactacle  of  clowns  and  trick  riders.  The  last 
act  was  announced  as  an  exhibition  of  the  broncho  that 
no  indian  or  white  man  had  ever  been  able  to  ride.  He 
had  killed  more  men  than  he  had  feet,  and  broken  more 
arms  and  legs  than  he  had  teeth.  The  animal  was 
brought  into  the  ring  without  saddle  or  bridle.  First 
the  clown  tried  to  ride  him  and  was  thrown  clear  out  of 
the  ring.  The  ring-master  tried  him  and  barely  escaped 
with  his  life.  Excitement  was  at  the  highest  pitch  when 
the  proprietor  of  the  show  proclaimed  that  he  would  be 
glad  to  give  the  animal  to  any  one  who  could  ride  him 
three  times  around  the  ring.  Two  or  three  men,  un 
known  to  the  spectators  and  doubtless  belonging  to  the 
show  for  that  purpose,  tried  the  experiment  and  were 
speedily  disposed  of  by  the  eccentric  gyrations  af  the 
broncho. 

Suddenly  the  lusty  voice  of  a  boy  cried  out:  "Skinny 
kin  do  it.  He  kin  ride  yer  pokey  mule!" 

The  challenge  was  too  clear  to  be  ignored  and  the  boss 
of  the  show  stopped  the  broncho  with  a  crack  of  his 
whip  as  he  cried:  "Who's  this  Skinny  that  thinks  he 
can  ride?" 

"Here  he  is,"  replied  a  chorus  of  voices  as  two 
boys  pushed  the  Parson's  son  off  of  the  bench  toward 
the  ring. 


34  THE    CIRCUS. 


"Come  on  and  try  it,"  sneered  the  boss.  "You'll  get 
your  eye  teeth  cut,  if  you  don't  come  out  any  the  worse." 

Skinny  laid  his  hand  on  the  mane  of  the  broncho  and 
sprang  upon  his  back  as  the  ringmaster  cracked  his  whip. 
The  broncho  got  his  feet  together  and  jumped  stiff-legged 
at  the  rate  of  a  hundred  or  more  a  minute.  Skinny  kept 
his  seat,  the  boss  cracked  his  whip  like  a  volley  of  mus 
ket  shots  and  the  people  yelled.  Then  the  trained  ani 
mal  danced  about  on  his  hind  legs  and  fell  backward, 
but  Skinny  was  off  like  a  cat  and  then  on  again  as  the 
animal  sprang  to  his  feet.  The  crowd  screamed  with 
delight.  But  the  tough  little  animal  had  not  exhausted 
his  tricks.  He  stood  on  his  fore  legs  and  dropped  side 
ways  to  the  ground.  Still  when  he  arose  he  found 
Skinny  on  his  back.  The  broncho  stopped  as  if  not 
knowing  what  to  do  further.  The  ringmaster  ran  up 
behind  him. 

"Hi  there,  stop  that,"  yelled  the  chorus  of  school 
boys.  "Fair  play,  no  burr  under  the  broncho's  tail  !" 

"Fair  play,"  yelled  a  score  of  men  standing  up  in 
their  seats. 

But  the  trick  had  been  done.  The  maddened  animal 
spun  round  and  round  a  dozen  times  or  more  and  then 
jumped  out  of  the  ring  causing  a  stampede  among  the 
spectators,  all  the  women  breaking  out  of  the  tent  and 
scurrying  homeward. 

The  broncho  ran  several  times  around  the  ring  next 
to  the  tiers  of  benches,  when  Skinny  turned  him  into 
the  ring,  around  which  he  ran  half  a  dozen  times  and 
stopped.  Skinny  alighted  amidst  the  applauding  yells 
of  his  scoolmates  and  the  remaining  men. 


A    BUCKING    BRONCHO,     AND    A    RUNAWAY.  35 

The  ringmaster  caught  the  broncho  by  the  foretop 
and  started  to  walk  away  with  him. 

"Hi  there,  Skinny,"  yelled  his  playmates,  "take  yer 
horse." 

The  ringmaster  hurried  on. 

"Don't  he  get  the  broncho  ?"  they  cried. 

"Yer  bet  he  gets  the  broncho,"  yelled  a  number  of 
men  intercepting  the  boss. 

Half  a  dozen  circus  men  came  to  the  rescue. 

"It  was  just  a  bluff,"  said  the  ringmaster  in  alarm. 

"Do  ye  hear  that  !"  exclaimed  a  tall,  leather-belted 
frontiersman.  "He  says  it  was  just  a  bluff  and  that  the 
boy  don't  get  the  horse." 

"Well,  Mr.  Circusman,"  he  continued,  "bluffs  don't 
go  in  this  town.  The  boy  gets  the  horse,  d'ye  hear?" 

The  circus  men  made  a  rush  to  open  a  way  for  the 
boss  to  get  out  with  the  broncho,  and  an  avalanche  with 
which  they  were  not  familiar  was  precipitated.  What 
was  left  of  the  circus  took  the  first  train  back  east,  three 
or  four  of  the  circus  men  remaining  over  night  in  the 
rear  end  of  a  doctor's  office  in  order  to  be  put  into  con 
dition  to  stand  the  jar  of  the  next  east-bound  train. 

Skinny  was  proud  of  his  prize  and  of  the  added  fame 
he  had  achieved.  He  found  himself  in  possession  of  as 
patient  and  docile  a  broncho  as  ever  walked  the  plains. 
The  fact  that  it  was  found  within  an  hour  that  no  one 
but  himself  could  ride  it  only  added  to  the  personal  es 
teem  he  held  for  the  little  beast. 

But  sober  second  thoughts  revealed  to  him  that  he 
had  a  white  elephant  on  his  hands  in  more  respects  than 
one.  Would  Mrs.  Brown  allow  a  circus  broncho  to  be 


36  THE    CIRCUS. 


in  possession  of  the  family?  Most  assuredly  no.  It  was 
not  likely  that  he  could  give  it  away.  A  friend  kept  it 
for  him  over  night.  Owing  to  his  truancy  and  the  noto 
riety  of  his  exploit  he  made  matters  worse  by  not  going 
home  till  late  at  night  when  the  good  people  were  all 
abed.  The  next  morning  the  storm  broke.  The  town 
paper  contained  half  a  page  of  the  exciting  victory  of 
William  Brown  and  the  sack  of  the  circus.  Mrs.  Brown 
was  in  hysterics  the  whole  day  and  the  Parson  was 
tightly  closeted  in  his  study  putting  the  finishing  touches 
to  his  Sunday  sermon. 

A  brilliant  idea  occurred  to  Willam  Brown.  The 
air  of  the  parsonage  was  stifling.  Except  for  the 
fatherly  kindness  of  the  Parson  it  had  always  been  well 
nigh  intolerable.  Skinny  reasserted  himself.  Here  was 
a  stout  broncho  all  his  own  property.  Mrs.  Brown  would 
be  glad  to  have  him  leave  the  town  and  he  would  be  glad 
to  go.  But  the  Parson — it  pained  Skinny  to  give  any 
distress  to  the  Parson.  He  decided  to  write  a  letter  to 
the  good  man.  This  he  did  and  slipped  it  under  Par 
son's  plate  at  the  table. 

It  read  as  follows  : 

"Dear  Parson,  I'm  off.  Some  day  I'll  pay  you  for  all 
the  trouble.  I'll  not  forget  the  motto.  I'll  always  dodge 
the  foolish  and  chase  the  wise. 

Lovingly,  your  son." 

And  the  Parson  believed  him. 

One  of  his  friends  gave  him  a  bridle  and  saddle  and 
that  night  he  slept  on  the  prairie  several  miles  toward 
the  northwest.  From  the  stories  he  had  heard  he  de 
cided  that  Deadwood  was  the  paradise  for  a  boy  of  his 


A    BUCKING    BRONCHO,    AND    A    RUNAWAY.  37 

ability.  He  traveled  most  of  the  next  day  without  food 
or  drink,  and  it  began  to  dawn  on  him  that  running 
away  without  definite  arrangements  for  stop-overs  at 
given  stations  was  likely  to  prove  a  serious  undertaking. 
In  the  afternoon  a  white  fog  so  dense  that  he  could 
hardly  see  distinctly  a  rod  distant,  added  to  his  confu 
sion  and  he  began  to  think  that  perhaps  Mother  Brown 
was  not  such  a  foolish  and  cruel  woman  after  all.  In 
contrast,  the  parsonage  began  to  appear  to  be  a  place  of 
unstinted  luxury  and  father  Brown  a  most  lovely  friend. 
But  he  admitted  that  it  was  too  late  for  regrets  and  so 
plodded  stoically  on. 

The  fog  seemed  to  be  lifting  just  a  little  when  he 
heard  a  report  that  sounded  like  a  distant  cannon.  It 
was  somewhat  alarming  and  the  lonesomeness  of  inter 
minable  fog  and  prairie  began  to  be  intolerably  oppres 
sive.  He  would  have  cried  if  he  had  not  thought  it  to 
be  very  unbecoming  in  one  who  was  now  his  own  master. 

Presently  he  heard  a  voice  of  most  supernatural  vol 
ume.  It  made  him  think  of  the  fog  horns  he  had  heard 
roaring  at  such  times  in  the  rivers  and  bay  of  New  York 
when  he  and  Sally  used  to  wander  about  hand  in  hand 
hunting  something  to  eat.  The  thought  of  her  brought 
tears  to  his  eyes,  but  he  bravely  brushed  them  away. 

The  monstrous  voice  sounded  again  much  nearer  and 
he  braced  himself  for  an  encounter  with  the  remarkable 
person.  What  kind  of  a  country  had  he  got  into,  any 
way?  Was  he  about  to  encounter  some  horrible  fog 
demon? 

Presently  he  saw  the  form  of  a  man  that  appeared  to 
be  not  less  than  twenty  feet  tall.  By  his  side  trotted  an 


38  A  RANCHMAN'S    PHILOSOPHY. 

animal  that  looked  to  be  as  large  as  a  horse.  His  heart 
seemed  to  be  in  his  throat  and  his  courage  was  forsaking 
him  when  he  discovered  that  as  the  forms  drew  nearer 
they  continually  lessened  in  size. 

"Hello!"  exclaimed  a  grizzly  looking  man  coming  up 
to  him.  "Air  ye  losted?" 

Skinny  could  not  answer  at  once,  he  was  so  over 
whelmed  with  what  he  had  seen  and  heard.  The 
looming  up  of  objects  in  a  fog  was  a  new  experience  to 
him.  A  common  cur  dog  sniffed  around  and  the  hunter 
dropped  three  or  four  jack  rabbits  upon  the  ground. 

"Of  course  your  losted,"  continued  the  hunter.  "No 
boy  on  a  broncho  could  tell  where  he  is  in  this  fog.  Lost 
your  voice  somewhere  as  ye  come  acrost  the  hills?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  guess  I  am  lost,"  said  Skinny,  "and 
pretty  hungry  to  boot." 

"I  guessed  it,  I  guessed  it,"  repeated  the  hunter. 
"Well,  come  along  to  my  shack  and  I'll  see  what  I  can 
do  fer  ye." 


CHAPTER  IV. 


A    RANCHMAN    AND    HIS    PERPLEXING    PHILOSOPHY 


Skinny  was  delighted  to  see  the  colossal  mansion  of 
the  hunter  loom  up  before  him,  although  it  shrank  to 
the  proportions  of  a  one-room  sod  shanty  by  the  time 
he  had  reached  the  door.  The  hunter  went  on  a  few 
rods  farther  through  the  fog  to  a  dug-out  stable  sheltered 
under  the  south  side  of  a  huge  loaf-like  sand  hill.  Thirty 


'ANSWER  ME  THIS  QUESTION  YES  OR  NO,  HAVE  YOU  DECIDED  TO  QUIT 

BEATING  YOUR  FATHER."  See  page 


A    RANCHMAN  S    PHILOSOPHY.  39 

or  forty  cows  were  snugly  sheltered  here  with  their 
sleek  and  animated  calves.  There  was  an  apperance  of 
cleanliness  and  thrift  that  considerably  increased  Skin- 
neys  esteem  for  the  hunter.  Returning  to  the  house  he 
found  himself  inside  a  room  not  less  than  twenty  by 
forty  feet  in  dimensions,  divided  into  apartments  by  low 
curtains  strung  on  ropes  stretching  across  the  house. 
The  savory  smell  of  boiling  vegitables  and  frying  game 
came  over  the  curtain  from  the  far  end  of  the  room.  No 
one  was  visible  but  a  lusty  hello  from  the  ranchman 
caused  the  curtain  to  part  a  little  and  the  pretty  face  of  a 
sixteen  year  old  girl  appeared  in  the  opening. 

"Min,  come  here,"  he  said.  "I've  cought  some  of 
the  funniest  game  out'n  the  sand  hills  you  ever  see,  two 
hens,  three  jack,  one  kid  and  a  broncho.  You  kin  fry 
the  hens,  boil  the  jacks,  and  ride  the  broncho,  but 
blasted  ef  I  know  what  you  kin  do  with  the  kid." 

The  ranchman  laughed  heartily  at  his  joke. 

Minnie  came  out  and  shook  hands  with  Skinny. 

"Were  you  losted?"  she  said  pleasantly  in  a  musical 
voice. 

"Guess  I  was, "  replied  Skinny  beginning  to  enjoy 
his  new  experience. 

"What's  yer  name?"  suddenly  inquired  the  ranchman. 
"Blamed  if  I'm  used  to  ask  my  game  fer  any  name  and 
I  purty  near  forgot  that  you  might  have  one.  What's 
yer  name,  young  feller?" 

"Ski — ,  Oh,  my  name's  William  Brown,  and  I'm  from 
Chadron  on  my  way  to  Deadwood,"  he  replied  in  some 
confusion. 

The   ranchman  laughed. 


40  A  RANCHMAN'S  PHILOSOPHY. 

"Well,  that's  good?"  exclaimed  the  ranchman.  "I 
calculate  you'll  reach  Jerico  long  'fore  you  get  to  Dead- 
wood  if  you  keep  on  in  this  direction.  Howsurnever,  this 
is  Minnie  Tinsley,  my  daughter,  and  I  advise  ye  that  the 
plains  don't  harbor  a  finer  gal." 

Skinny  became  conscious  that  some  one  had  come  up 
behind  him  from  the  side  curtain. 

"Here,  mom,  get  aquainted  with  William  Brown 
from  Chadron  on  his  way  by  Tinsley's  to  Dead  wood." 

The  ranchman  laughed  again  as  a  fussey  little  women 
shook  hands  with  the  newcomer. 

"That's  Min's  mother,  and  I  tell  you  by  way  of 
warnin'  that  you've  got  to  walk  straight  when  mom's 
around." 

Just  then  they  were  interrupted  by  a  knock  at  the 
door.  The  ranchman  swung  the  door  open  and  a  young 
man  entered  with  a  warm  greeting  to  all. 

"William  Brown  of  Chadron  on  yer  way  to  Dead- 
wood  by  way  of  Tinsley's  ranch,"  said  the  ranchman, 
"just  cast  your  eye  on  Phil  Morris  and  size  up  one  of 
the  finest  fellars  in  these  parts.  You  was  fllounderin1 
'round  on  the  lower  corner  of  Phil's  claim  when  I  took 
ye  in." 

Phil  shook  hands  cordially  with  William,  and  then 
at  the  invitation  of  Minnie  passed  behind  one  of  the  cur 
tains  into  the  parlor 

"You  see, "  explained  the  ranchman,  "Phil's  soft  on 
Min  and  they  haint  no  time  for  common  folks". 

Skinny  was  much  interested  in  these  proceedings,  but 
heart  as  well  as  his  stomach  longed  most  to  pass  behind 
the  curtain  that  lead  into  the  dining  apartment  of  this 


YOSEMITE    FALLS, 


A    RANCHMAN S    PHILOSOPHY.  41 

strange  abode.  When  this  inestimable  privilege  was 
granted  he  was  fully  satisfied,  and  that  night  he  slept 
the  sleep  of  the  righteous. 

The  next  morning  the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  and 
when  he  went  out  with  the  ranchman  to  help  him  about 
his  work,  he  discovered  that  this  really  kind  hearted  and 
good  natured  man  was  one  of  the  strange  characters 
often  met  with  in  the  varied  population  of  the  boundless 
plains.  It  had  been  decided  that  he  was  to  accept  the 
hospitality  of  the  Tinsley's  for  a  week  or  more,  until  he 
could  decide  on  a  more  propitious  plan  of  reaching  Dead- 
wood  than  the  haphazard  one  that  had  just  come  so  near 
proving  disastrous.  Skinny  could  stand  almost  any 
thing  and  was  quick  enough  with  replies,  but  the  singular 
ranchman  overmatched  him. 

"The  good  Lord  save!"  Skinny  exclaimed  to  Phil 
Morris,  when  he  had  jumped  on  his  broncho  and  fled  to 
the  protection  of  his  friend's  shanty,  "a  few  days  more 
at  Tinsley's  and  I'd  have  nothing  on  my  neck  but  a  can 
of  last  years  oysters." 

"Ugh!"  he  exclaimed  shaking  his  head  as  if  to  get 
the  kinks  out  of  his  mind.  "My  thinking  stuff  feels 
now  worse  than  one  of  Mother  Brown's  omelets." 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  a  traveller  on  the  Western 
plains  to  find  a  man  who  knows  more  of  certain  branches 
of  knovvlege  than  many  of  the  professors  holding  profes 
sorships  in  prominent  colleges.  He  has  failed  from 
some  accident  or  trait  of  character,  and  has  gone  like  a 
hermit  to  the  shanty  of  land-claim  in  the  far  west. 

The  mind  must  continue  to  think  in  its  accustomed 
channels  and  so  are  developed  many  of  the  strange 


42  A    RANCHMAN S    PHILOSOPHY. 


characters  of  the  plains.  Here  and  there  over  the  vast 
range  of  territory  is  a  learned  geologist  out  of  touch  with 
civilization,  a  mathematician,  an  astronomer  or  a  phil 
osopher,  whose  chief  mental  pleasure  is  in  abstruse 
theories  or  calculations. 

Skinny  found  to  his  utter  demoralization  that  Hiram 
Tinsley  was  a  philosopher,  or  more  accurately  perhaps,  a 
sophist  of  the  school  of  Diodorus  Chronus  and  Zeno. 

"Laws  A'mighty"  he  exclaimed  as  Skinny  went  with 
him  on  the  first  morning  to  feed  the  cattle.  "Who'd  'a 
thought  it  would  be  raining  on  this  fine  sunshiny 
morning." 

Skinny  looked  at  him,  puzzled  at  this  new  turn  of 
the  ranchman's  peculiar  fancy. 

"Eh!  Don't  think  it's  raining  do  ye?"  he  continued, 
"well,  I  kin  prove  that  it  is,  and  make  you  admit  it." 

Skinny  became  interested.      Here  was  a  prodigy. 

"If  sunshiny  weather  aint  rainy  weather,  then  it 
must  be  the  other  thing.  So  you  admit  that  the  other1 
thing  is  sunshiny  weather. 

Skinny  nodded  his  head. 

"Well,  what's  the  other  thing  this  morning?  Of 
course  the  other  thing  this  morning  is  rain;  and,  as 
you  said  that  sunshine  is  the  other  thing  and  that  rain  is 
also  the  other  thing  to-day,  you  can  see  that  both  being 
the  other  thing  and  therefor  the  same  thing,  our  sun 
shiny  weather  in  this  country  is  rainy  weather,  and  there 
you  are  without  an  umbrella." 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life  Skinny  was  silent  on  a 
challenge  of  wits.  The  snarl  in  the  tangle  was  too  hard 


A  RANCHMAN'S  PHILOSOPHY  43 

even  for  a  boy  of  twelve  or  fourteen  years  who  had  been 
used  to  hard  knots  all  his  life. 

"Logic  is  like  figures,  it  can't  lie,"  continued  the 
ranchman,  now  in  his  element  because  he  had  a  willing 
listener.  "You  know  Cicero  fixed  that  when  he  said 
that  if  you  say  that  you  lie  and  say  so  truly,  then  you 
do  lie,  but  if  you  say  so  falsely  then  do  you  indeed  speak 
the  truth." 

"My  boy,"  continued  Mr.  Tinsley  confidently,  warm 
ing  to  his  subject,  as  Skinny  remained  silent,  but  ap 
peared  interested,  "it  is  clear  to  me  that  you  have  not 
been  given  good  advice,  or  you  would  have  a  clearer 
head.  Learn  of  me  and  my  logic  and  you  will  never 
become  woozy  in  the  fogs  of  thought  or  be  lost  again  in 
the  sand  hills  of  life.  Act  according  to  the  mathematics 
of  ancient  philosophy  and  no  one  can  ever  trip  you  up. 
Get  the  mental  tangles  of  the  ancients  straight  in  your 
head,  and  the  tangles  of  this  world  will  never  catch  ye." 

'  'A  boy  with  your  brains  has  magnificent  prospects, " 
he  repeated.  "Sometime  you  may  outrank  Zeno  if  you 
will  heed  my  instructions  and  make  the  best  use  of  your 
means.  But,  meanwhile  you  must  keep  your  eyes  on 
the  main  chance  and  look  out  for  the  substantial  things 
of  life." 

Nothing  is  better  than  wisdom;  but,  when  you  are 
hungry,  dry  bread  is  better  than  nothing  and  therefore 
much  to  be  preferred  to  wisdom.  That  reminds  me  to 
caution  you  always  to  be  temperate  in  your  appetites, 
even  when  you  are  hungry.  You  know  that  whoever  is 
most  hungry  eats  most.  Likewise  it  may  be  affirmed 
that  those  who  eat  the  least  must  in  the  very  nature  of 


44  A    RANCHMAN  S    PHILOSOPHY. 

their  abstinence  be  the  most  hungry;  therefore  those  who 
eat  the  least  often  eat  the  most.  Be  wise,  my  boy." 

This  was  truly  astonishing  as  well  as  bewildering. 
Skinny  had  now  a  brief  respite  as  the  cows  were  being 
fed,  but  his  brain  was  Hltle  more  clear  when  the  ranch 
man  returned  to  his  process  of  philosophical  education. 

Skinny  said  something  in  praise  of  wisdom,  when  Mr. 
Tinsley  proceeded  to  prove  by  the  dictionary  that  every 
wise  man  is  a  fool. 

"Look  at  the  definition  of  wisdom,"  he  said.  "Wis 
dom  is  prudence;  prudence  is  caution;  caution  is  the 
result  of  forecasting;  forecasting  is  merely  surmising; 
surmising  is  conjecture;  conjecture  is  fancy;  fancy  runs 
into  fantasy;  fantasy  is  hallucination;  hallucination  is 
insanity;  and  the  insane  man  is  a  fool.  Therefore  my 
boy,  watch  wisdom  that  it  does  not  make  a  fool  of  you, 
as  it  does  most  people. 

Why,  look  at  Diadorus  Chronus.  Two  thousand 
years  ago  he  almost  made  the  world  stand  still  by  prov 
ing  that  there  was  no  motion.  Philosophy  is  the  only 
authorized  worker  of  miracles.  Now,  do  you  see  that 
broncho:1" 

"Yes,  sir,"  Skinny  answered  rather  dubiously  as  to 
whether  he  might  lose  his  hard-earned  prize  by  the  philo 
sopher  proving  it  to  be  a  cow. 

"Can  it  move  where  it  is?"      Skinny  shook  his  head. 

"Can    it   move   where    it   is  not?"     Quite  certain  this 

time,  he  answered   emphatically,   "No,    sir,    I  guess  not, 

but  I  do  believe  if  it  can  be  done  that  broncho  can  do  it." 

"Well,  philosophy  says  that  the  broncho  can't  do  it. 
It  says  that  nothing  can  move  where  it  is,  nor  where  it 


SEAL  ROCK,   FARANLONE  ISLAND,  CALIFORNIA. 


OLD    MISSION    HOUSE,     SANTA    BARBARA,    CALIFORNIA. 


A  RANCHMAN'S  PHILOSOPHY.  45 

is  not,  therefore  if  it  were  not  for  some  scientific  fact 
outside  of  philosophy  we  would  all  be  turnips." 

"Come  on,"  he  continued.  "We  will  refute  the 
theory  by  walking.  That  was  the  only  way  by  which 
Dr.  Johnson  could  answer  Berkeley." 

By  this  time  the  cows  were  turned  into  the  pasture, 
and  the  calves  were  running  one  another  around  the 
small  enclosure. 

"My  boy,  "said  the  irrepressible*1  philosopher,  "let 
me  teach  you  here  a  very  valuable  lesson  and  so  save 
you  a  great  many  misunderstandings  and  mistakes.  How 
many  calves  do  you  say  are  in  this  pen?" 

Skinny  counted  them  carefully. 

"Twenty-seven,"  he  announced. 

"Ah,  ha,  I  thought  so,"  said  Mr.  Tinsley.  "I  say 
twenty-seven  calves  are  not  in  this  pen." 

Skinny  counted  them  again,  and  found  the  same 
number. 

"Do  you  see  them  haystacks  over  yonder?"  asked  the 
philosopher. 

"Well,  the  twenty-seven  calves  I  am  talking  about 
are  over  there.  I  say  twenty-seven  calves  are  not  in 
this  pen,  they  are  over  there  by  the  hayricks. 

"Of  course  we  are  both  right,  but  half  the  arguments 
and  fights  in  this  world  are  just  like  that,  especially  in 
politics  and  lawsuits,  so  learn  of  philosophy  and  be 
wise." 

They  were  now  approaching  the  door  of  the  house. 

Mrs.  'linsley  came  to  the  door  as  they  approached 
and  she  noticed  Skinny's  confused  and  dejected  air. 

"Hiram,"  she  cried,    quite  fiercely,   "air  you   doping 


46  A  RANCHMAN'S  PHILOSOPHY. 


your  foolishness  into  that  hoy?  Now  I  just  won't  have 
it.  You  run  everyhody  off  of  the  place  but  me  and  Min 
and  Phil  Morris  and  Homer  Files.  I  wouldn't  be  sur 
prised  if  you  don't  run  William  away  before  sundown  if 
you  keep  up  your  nonsense.  Nobody  can  stand  your 
slanderous  moonshine." 

''Come  here,  William,"  she  said,  motioning  to  him 
as  Hiram  Tinsley  moved  stolidly  around  the  corner. 

'  'You  won't  have  sense  enough  to  feed  the  pigs  if  you 
listen  to  him  half  a  day  at  a  time,  without  airing.  He 
run  a  man  crazy  here  once  and  they  do  say  he's  now  in 
the  asylum.  And  I  remember  that  he  begun  on  him  by 
proving  that  a  cat  has  nine  tails  because  no  cat  has  eight 
tails,  and  every  cat  has  one  more  tail  than  no  cat.  He 
argued  nearly  a  year  trying  to  make  me  agree  that  five 
is  odd  and  even  because  three  and  two  are  five  and  they 
are  odd  and  even.  I  am  no  hand  at  figures,  but  I  would 
die  before  I  would  say  that  five  is  two  numbers  just  be 
cause  three  and  two  make  five  and  they  are  two  num 
bers.  He  says  that  feathers  are  contrary  to  darkness, 
because  feathers  are  light  and  light  is  contrary  to  dark 
ness.  He  said  I  was  Zantippe  and  tried  to  prove  it  by 
Socrates,  and  then  there  was  a  fight.  I  was  milking  the 
cows  and  I  doused  him,  and  it  took  him  a  week  to  get 
the  milk  outen  his  hair.  I  thought  I  had  him  about 
broke  of  it  but  I  see  he  is  still  persisting.  You  go  now 
and  feed  the  hogs  for  me,  and  run  away  from  him  when 
ever  he  attacks  you  in  that  way,  or  come  and  tell  me." 

The  rest  of  the  day  passed  pleasantly  and  Skinny 
supposed  that  he  had  been  relieved  of  the  incubus  of 
philosophy. 


A    RANCHMAN  S    PHILOSOPHY.  47 

Mr.  Philosopher  was  not  to  be  seen  the  next  morn 
ing  and  Minnie  helped  Skinny  feed  the  cattle.  He  found 
her  a  very  interesting  girl. 

Nothing  happened  worthy  of  mention  until  she 
jumped  on  the  broncho's  back  to  go  after  a  stray  cow. 
Phil  Morris  and  Homer  Files  had  just  come  up  in  a  hay 
wagon  and  were  talking  with  Mrs.  Tinsley. 

"Look  out,"  cried  Skinny.  "He's  not  used  to 
women.  He  will  throw  you." 

Minnie  had  never  seen  a  broncho  that  she  was  afraid 
to  try  to  ride,  but  she  digged  her  heels  into  his  side  as 
she  ordered  him  to  "Git  up." 

And  he  got  up. 

No  circus  trick  horse  ever  got  up  better  before  and 
behind.  He  spun  around  on  his  hind  feet  like  a  top  and 
then  began  a  kind  of  half  trot  backward  until  he  ran  into 
Phil  Morris'  horses  and  almost  caused  a  runaway.  But 
Minnie  was  a  clever  horsewoman  and  she  stuck  to  him 
with  surprising  ability.  Evidently  the  broncho  was  not 
exhibiting  a  vicious  disposition,  for  he  went  through  his 
performances  more  like  a  trick  horse  in  the  circus  ring 
than  one  trying  viciously  to  throw  his  rider.  There  were 
no  such  jumps  and  contortions  as  when  Skinny  defeated 
him  in  the  circus  tent  at  Chadron.  To  the  astonishment 
of  all,  he  spread  his  feet  out  till  his  body  nearly  touched 
the  ground  and  Minnie  Tinsley  thought  it  a  favorable 
time  to  get  off.  Then  the  well-trained  trick  animal  de 
liberately  sat  down  on  his  haunches  and  stuck  out  his 
right  fore  foot  to  his  late  rider,  who  understanding  his 
invitation,  shook  hands  with  him.  The  spectators  were 
speechless  with  surprise,  and  the  ranchman  coining  up 


48  A  RANCHMAN'S  PHILOSOPHY. 

in  time  to  see  the  last  act,  exclaimed,  "O  Horatio,  there 
are  more  things  in  heaven  and  earth  than  is  dreamt  of 
in  our  philosophy." 

The  broncho  was  looked  on  as  almost  human,  and 
nothing  else  was  talked  of  during  the  remainder  of 
the  day. 

The  next  morning  Skinny  and  the  ranchman  were 
out  together  and  unfortunately  met  a  neighbor  boy  driv 
ing  a  flock  of  sheep  followed  by  a  docile  ram.  In  fact  the 
ram  was  so  lazy  that  the  boy  was  pounding  him  sturdily 
with  a  stick  as  he  came  by  Tinsley's  house. 

"Is  that  your  ram?"  asked  the  ranchman   of  the  boy. 

"Yes,  sir,"  he  answered  proudly, 

"Is  he  the  father  of  these  lambs?" 

"Yes  sir." 

"Then  answer  me  this  question  yes  or  no,"  de 
manded  the  inveterate  sophist:  "Have  you  decided  to 
quit  beating  your  father?" 

"I  have  not,  it  is  not  my,"- 

"There  now,  you  were  to  answer  yes  or  no." 

"But  I  have  not  been  beating  my  father,"  asserted 
the  boy. 

"Look  out,"  he  said  warningly,  "that  you  do  not 
talk  falsely.  Philolosophy  maintains  the  truth  in  spite 
of  appearances.  Did  you  not  say  that  it  is  your  ram?" 

'  'Yes,  sir, ' '  he  answered  meekly. 

"Is  he  not  a  father?" 

The  boy  was  too  confused  to  answer. 

You  know  he  is  a  father;  and  since  he  is  yours,  he 
must  be  your  father." 

The    boy    hung   his  head  as  if  in  shame  at  the  rela- 


A  RANCHMAN'S  PHILOSOPHY.  49 

tionship  so  clearly  proven.  Then  he  straightened  up 
and  blurted  out:  "I'm  no  son  of  a  sheep." 

"Notwithstanding  your  assertion,"  the  sophist  con 
tinued;"  I  certainly  would  udvise  you  to  get  rid  of  your 
horns." 

The  boy  involuntarily  put  his  hands  to  his  head.  The 
ranchman  laughed,  and  the  boy  looked  up  in  amaze 
ment. 

"Certainly,"  he  said,  is  it  not  true  that  you  still  have 
what  you  have  never  got  rid  of?" 

It  seemed  necessary  for  the  boy  to  answer,   "yes." 

"Very  well,  then.  You  know  that  you  have  never 
got  rid  of  your  horns,  therefore  you  must  still  have  them, 
and  I  advise  you  to  get  rid  of  them  as  soon  as  possible 
if  you  have  an  ambition  to  roam  about  in  good  American 
society." 

The  boy  was  too  stupified  to  speak. 

"However,"  he  continued,  "following  this  good  ad 
vice  and  information,  I  have  one  simple  request  to  make. 
Whenever  you  have  occasion  to  beat  this  ram  don't  beat 
him  with  my  eye. 

Skinny  began  to  wonder  if  what  Mr.  Tinsley  said  had 
really  come  true.  He  didn't  feel  sure  just  then  that  he 
had  sense  enough  to  feed  pigs. 

"There,  my  boy,"  continued  the  perplexing  philoso 
pher,"  don't  think  I  am  angry.  I  know  you  have  no 
desire  to  disfigure  me  or  to  cripple  the  ram.  My  request 
will  work  no  hardship  on  you." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  inquired  the  bey  with  sudden 
resentment  at  being  made  to  appear  so  ridiculous. 

"Well, "said    the   ranchman   patronizingly,    his   face 


50  A  RANCHMAN'S  PHILOSOPHY. 

beaming  with  philosophical  pleasure.  "What  the  goat 
was  beaten  with  was  what  [  saw  him  beaten  with,  and 
that  was  my  eye,  but  it  is  all  right  if  you  won't  do  so 
again." 

"Now,  be  off,"  concluded  the  tormentor,  "and  re 
member  that  whenever  you  get  into  a  lawsuit,  you  and 
your  opponent  will  be  paying  good  money  to  the  lawyers 
to  argue  just  that  way.  Good  day." 

That  night  Skinny  thought  that  perhaps  there  might 
be  some  grains  of  wisdom  in  the  queer  ranchman's  crush 
ing  demonstrations  of  philosophy.  But  he  fell  asleep  to 
dream  that  cheap  horses  were  dear  because  rare  things 
are  dear  and  cheap  horses  are  rare.  He  could  see 
measures  of  wheat  falling  to  the  ground  without  sound 
because  a  grain  falls  without  sound,  and  the  measures 
was  made  up  of  grains.  He  saw  baldheaded  men  who 
were  not  bald  because  it  had  never  been  decided  just 
how  many  hairs  should  be  left  off  to  make  a  man  bald. 

When  he  awoke,  it  was  only  to  plunge  into  a  more 
inextricable  maze  of  mental  tangles.  For  several  days, 
Skinny  endured  the  ranchman's  revel  in  dilemmas, 
fallacies  and  paradoxes.  Mother  Tinsley  and  the  pretty 
daughter  tried  to  save  the  boy  from  having  his  mind 
wound  up  into  a  ball  of  mental  kiriks  and  intellectual 
snarls,  but  the  ranchman  had  found  an  appreciative 
victim,  and  so  could  not  be  stopped  till  he  had  run 
trough  the  full  course  of  sophistry. 

"It'l  do  the  lad  good,  it's  the  making  of  him"  re 
plied  the  ranchman  in  answer  to  the  protestations  that  he 
would  run  the  boy  crazy.  "It'l  teach  him  how  to  separate 
the  false  from  the  facts  and  to  take  the  straight  road  to 


THE    BOX    CAME    TO     THE     SURFACE     WITH     HOMER     FILER     HOLDING     IN     HIS 
ARMS   THE    UNCONSCIOUS    FORM    OF    PHIL    MORRIS.        See  Page  Gl 


A    RANCHMAN  S    PHILOSOPHY.  5  I 

Deadwoocl  without  trying  to  get  there    around   the  world 
by  Tinsley's. 

At  last  the  ranchman  got  into  the  dilemmas  and 
paradoxes  of  theology  and  Skinny  fled  for  protection  to 
the  homely  shack  of  Phil  Morris.  Minnie  and  Phil  had 
conceived  a  great  friendship  for  Skinny  and  he  fully  re 
ciprocated  the  friendship.  It  was  this  friendship  that 
seemed  designed  by  Providence  to  aid  in  averting  a  great 
tragedy  about  to  take  place. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE    PRAIRIE    BEAUTY    AND    A    DARING    RESCUE. 


The  first  stinging  air  of  autumn  came  in  vigorous 
waves  over  the  sun-scorched  prairie,  and  rattled  the  blades 
of  the  corn  in  the  half-harvested  field.  Just  across  the 
road  from  the  board  shack  or  shanty  of  Phil  Morris,  a 
newly-finished  sod  house  oj  unusually  careful  and  com 
modious  structure  was  awaiting  its  first  tenants.  A  few 
rods  back  of  the  house,  a  long  grass-covered  shed  shel 
tered  nightly  a  thrifty  assortment  of  well-cared-for  live 
stock.  Near  by,  among  some  great  heaps  of  brown 
sand,  was  a  high-framed  windlass,  at  which  a  young  man 
was  toiling  laboriously  to  bring  to  the  surface  the  heavy 
sand  box  filled  by  his  partner  at  the  bottom  of  the  broad, 
square  well. 

The  last  turns  of  the  windlass  were  being  made,  when 
a  touch  on  his  arm  startled  him. 


52  A    PRAIRIE    BEAUTY. 

"Not  struck  water  yet?"  anxiously  inquired  a  fem 
inine  voice  at  his  elbow. 

He  ceased  from  his  work  so  abruptly,  that  the  frame 
work  shook  with  the  shock  of  the  sudden  stoppage. 

"And  Phil's  still  working  away  on  the  bottom,"  she 
added,  peering  over  the  curbing  into  the  dark  abyss. 
"Oh,  my,  what  dreadful  toil,  and  you  may  not  strike 
water  before  -  She  paused  while  the  red  glow 

brought  by  the  sharp  wind  on  her  cheeks  deepened  and 
increased.  "You  know  what  I  mean,  before  the  holidays. " 

The  workman  leaned  against  the  windlass  and  looked 
at  her  searchingly.  "Well,  what's  to  happen  then?"  he 
asked,  raspingly. 

"Why,  don't  you  know?  I  supposed  Phill  had  told 
you.  That's  the  time  set." 

He  turned  quickly  to  his  work,  heartsick  with  the 
thought  of  how  much  she  could  have  been  to  him  if  only 
another  had  not  come  in  the  way  to  find  more  favor  in 
her  eyes.  He  felt  that  silence  was  not  just  right,  and 
that  it  would  be  better  if  he  could  say  something. 

"It's  a  lucky  thing  that  this  slug  of  iron  was  falling 
all  right  into  the  cogs,"  he  said,  touching  the  bit  of  metal 
by  way  of  emphasis,  "or  else  I  might  have  lost  my  grip 
when  you  came  on  me  so  suddenly." 

She  stepped  back  with  a  shudder. 

"And  Phil?" 

The  unfinished  question  was  so  expressive,  that  the 
young  man  paused  as  he  bent  over  his  work  and  re 
mained  for  a  moment  as  if  a  dart  of  pain  had  suddenly 
transfixed  him.  Then  the  monotonous  click,  click,  click 


NDIAN    WOMAN    CLEANING    SALMON. 


DARING    RESCUE.  53 


of  the  windlass  began  again,  and  continued  till  the  box  of 
sand  was  swung  out  of  the  well. 

She  looked  down  again,  and  by  the  flickering  ray  of 
yellow  light  struggling  upward  from  the  bottom,  she 
could  dimly  see  the  workman  more  than  a  hundred  feet 
below. 

"Hello,  Phil,"  she  called  to  him.  "Can  you  hear 
me?  Say,  isn't  it  a  good  place  down  there  to  get  out  of 
the  sharp  winds?" 

"Hello,  Minnie,"  is  that  you?  came  a  hollow,  muffled 
voice  echoing  upward  in  almost  indistinguishable  tones. 

The  returning  box  filled  the  mouth  af  the  well. 

"Is  it  very  dangerous,  Homer,  to  be  working  down 
there?"  she  asked,  anxiously  of  the  man  at  the  windlass. 
"I  wonder  if  I  couldn't  ride  down  in  the  box." 

"Well,  it's  no  parlor  car,  Miss  Minnie,  and  the  way 
down  is  not  much  for  scenery,  but  you  can  if  you  want  to. " 

She  shook  her  head,  and  the  box  went  on  rapidly  to 
the  bottom. 

'  'Of  course  you  and  Phil  are  too  careful  to  allow  an 
accident,  but  if  anything  should  happen,"  she  said, 
somewhat  apprehensively,  '  'you'd  let  me  know  first  of 
all,  wouldn't  you,  Homer." 

"Nothing  is  going  to  happen  so  long  as  Phil  tends  to 
his  business,"  he  replied  with  a  tinge  of  sullenness. 
"You  needn't  be  borrowing  any  trouble  about  Phil." 

Her  pony  was  browsing  in  the  grass  a  few  steps  away, 
and  she  went  over  to  him  as  if  half  offended.  With  a 
wave  of  her  hand  to  the  workman  at  the  well,  she 
mounted  the  little  animal  and  galloped  away. 

Homer    Files    looked   gloomily  after  her,   until    she 


54  A    PRAIRIE    HEAUTY. 

disappeared  in  the  distance  behind  one  of  the  sand 
hills. 

"I  can't  see  what's  in  Phil  Morris  to  like  so  much 
better  than  any  body  else,"  he  spoke  to  himself.  "Per 
haps  it's  'cause  he's  got  a  section  and  I've  got  only  a 
quarter.  But  they're  engaged  and  I  suppose  that  settles 
it.  She  likes  me  next  to  him,  and  I  guess  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  him  I'd  got  her." 

The  signal  for  hoisting  the  box  was  given,  and  he 
turned  unwillingly  to  his  laborious  task. 

In  the  last  few  weeks  everything  about  him  seemed 
to  be  becoming  more  and  more  a  source  of  irritation. 
He  was  thinking  somewhat  bitterly  of  those  things  when 
the  clicking  of  the  iron  falling  into  the  cogs  of  the  wind 
lass  ceased  with  a  sudden  jerk.  He  leaned  over  and 
looked  angrily  into  the  shaft. 

"Hey,  what's  the  matter  down  there?"  he  cried, 
giving  the  taut  rope  a  vicious  pull. 

"Spade  in  the  box,"  came  the  queer  sounding  reply 
from  the  depths  of  the  earth.  "Guess  it's  caught 
a  board  in  the  curbing." 

It  would  have  been  easy  to  experiment  with  the  an 
noyance  by  lowering  the  box  gently,  but  anger  is  neither 
patient  nor  reasoning.  Even  the  spade  in  the  box  had 
joined  with  other  things  to  resist  and  defeat  his  desires. 

Not  that  he  had  many  desires,  but  there  is  a  time  in 
a  man's  life  when  all  wishes  are  centered  in  one,  and  this 
one  most  precious  desire  had  become  hopeless  because 
Minnie  thought  most  of  Phil. 

It  was  the  deepest  bitterness  he  had  ever  known,  and 
such  bitterness  generates  the  most  unreasoning  thoughts. 


A    DARING    RESCUE.  55 


A  legion  of  such  thoughts  now  occupied  his  mind  like  an 
ill-temperad  mob,  excited  by  this  tangible  annoyance 
into  a  charge  of  blind  and  reckless  resentment.  The 
imps  of  bitterness  were  rousing  the  furies  of  passion. 
His  reckless  pull  on  the  rope  caused  a  warning  cry  to 
come  from  the  depths  of  the  pit. 

"Let  down  the  box,  let  down  the  box,"  was  repeated 
in  a  frightened  voice. 

The  young  man  hesitated. 

A  low,  shrill,  rasping  sound  of  pouring  sand  reached 
his  ears,  portentous  as  from  the  hour-glass  of  death.  A 
tremor  of  panic-stricken  thoughts  paralyzed  his  decision, 
but  his  guilty  hesitation  was  only  momentary.  He  sprang 
back  and  caught  the  handle  of  the  windlass.  At  the 
same  instant  there  was  a  crash  of  breaking  curbing,  fol 
lowed  by  the  thud,  thud,  thud  of  tons  of  resistless  earth 
breaking  through  the  oaken  framework  that  held  in  place 
the  treacherous  sand-walls  of  the  well.  The  great  square 
shaft  was  being  filled  almost  to  the  surface  in  as  many 
seconds  as  it  had  taken  weeks  of  laborious  exertion  to 
dig  it  out. 

At  the  first  crash,  the  horrified  workman  fell  face- 
downward  on  the  sand  and  thrust  his  fingers  into  his 
ears  to  shut  out  the  dreadful  sound.  When  all  was  still, 
he  crawled  under  the  windlass  and  looked  over  into  the 
placid  death-trap.  His  anger  had  been  whirled  into 
horror,  and  now  horror  had  become  pity. 

After  all,  what  did  it  matter  if  Phil  had  found  favor 
where  he  had  lost.  Poor  Phil,  the  falling  earth  must 
have  killed  him  instantly.  Then  the  heart-pain  that  he 
had  been  lately  suffering  returned;  and,  for  a  moment, 


56  A    PRAIRIE    BEAUTY. 


he  wished  that  he  was  down  there  in  Phil's  place,  and 
that  Phil  was  sitting  where  he  sat.  But  would  Minnie 
care  as  much?  That  thought  brought  to  him  again  all  the 
bitterness  of  life. 

Then  he  remembered  his  duty.  Some  one  must  be 
told.  Whom  first  to  tell  of  the  dreadful  accident,  was 
not  clear.  Not  Minnie,  although  her  home  was  on  the 
way  to  the  village.  Why  should  he  be  the  first  to  give 
her  pain.  That  was  plainly  not  within  his  line  of  duty. 
A  brown  coat  lay  on  one  of  the  sand  piles.  He  decided 
to  carry  it  to  the  dead  man's  friends.  As  he  threw  it 
across  his  arm,  a  bunch  of  flowers  fell  from  one  of  the 
pockets  upon  his  foot.  -They  were  violets  that  Minnie 
had  given  to  Phil.  The  sight  of  them  struck  a  shiver 
through  him.  Then  the  wicked  mob  of  impish  thoughts 
rushed  through  his  mind  again,  and  he  kicked  the  flow 
ers  viciously  away.  They  fell  into  the  death-pit,  and 
Homer  hurriedly  left  the  gruesome  place. 

On  the  way  to  the  village,  he  came  to  the  house 
where  Minnie  Tinsley  lived.  He  saw  her  watering  her 
flowers,  and  he  left  the  road  for  a  nearer  way  to  the  vil 
lage  through  the  grove  of  little  cottonwood  trees  on  her 
father's  timber  claim.  He  shivered  with  the  rustling  of 
the  leaves  and  he  was  glad  when  he  passed  out  of  the 
grove  into  a  field  of  corn.  But,  now  and  then  a  pros 
trate  stalk  tripped  him  to  the  earth,  and  the  rough  fur 
rows  made  him  walk  like  a  drunken  man.  The  dry 
tassels  smote  him  in  the  eyes,  and  the  withered  blades 
cut  him  across  the  face. 

Soon  after  noon  a  wagon  came  back  along  the  road 
with  half  a  dozen  men  sitting  on  a  long  pine  box. 


BAPTISTF.,  the  old  Indian  pilot  who  has  piloted   passenger  steamers  safely  through 

the  Lacliine  Rapids  for  many  years.     He  comes  on  board  the  steamer  above  the 

rapids  and  leaves  it  when  he  has  taken  the  steamer  safely  through. 


DARING    RESCUE.  57 


Homer  Files  was  driving,  and  his  face  became  bloodless 
as  he  saw  Minnie  Tinsley  standing  at  the  roadside  before 
her  father's  house. 

"Who's  dead?  Is  it  anyone  I  know?"  she  asked  in  a 
voice  trembling  with  anxiety  and  alarm. 

Some  one  told  her.  Homer  could  not  speak.  As 
they  drove  on,  he  looked  back  and  saw  her  going  up  the 
walk  to  the  house  like  a  blind  woman  uncertain  of  her 
way. 

When  the  wagon  came  to  the  top  of  the  sandhill 
overlooking  the  valley  belonging  to  Phil  Morris,  they 
saw  half  a  hundred  men  standing  around  the  caved-in 
well.  Skinny  was  sitting  on  his  broncho,  and  it  was 
breathing  heavy  as  if  from  recent  hard  riding.  Skinny 
had  returned  from  taking  Phil's  cattle  to  their  grazing 
ground  a  few  minutes  after  Homer  Files  had  left  for  the 
village,  and  he  saw  at  once  what  had  'occurred.  Phil 
was  nowhere  to  be  found  and  Skinny  decided  that  Phil 
was  surely  buried  under  the  hundred  feet  of  earth. 

Skinny  at  this  discovery  had  struck  his  heels  into  the 
sides  of  his  broncho  and  it  flew  away  like  a  race  horse 
to  the  pasture  where  ranchman  Tinsley  was  sure  to  be 
found  at  that  hour. 

Mr.  Tinsley  sprang  upon  his  horse  crying:  "Run  for 
the  neighbors,  but  don't  tell  Minnie  yet.  It  will  kill  her. " 

So  when  the  wagon  came  up  with  the  long  pine  box, 
its  presence  completed  the  conviction  that  Phil  Morris 
had  been  killed  instantly. 

Skinny  was  the  only  one  who  remained  unconvinced. 
He  was  still  almost  beside  himself  with  excitement. 

"I'm  going  for  Minnie,"  he  cried  to  the  ranchman,  as 


58  A    PRAIRIE    BEAUTY. 

if  in  her  presence  there  might  still  be  revived  some  glim 
mering  hope.  But  Minnie  was  coming. 

The  group  of  men  were  still  undecided  as  to  the  ways 
and  means  of  the  almost  hopeless  task  required  to  secure 
the  body,  when  the  rapid  stamp  of  a  pony's  hoof  was 
heard  on  the  road,  and  Minnie  Tinsley  alighted  at  the 
side  of  the  gruesome  box.  She  went  to  the  windlass  and 
peered  into  the  dreadful  pit. 

"Why  do  you  lose  time?"  she  cried,  turning  to  them. 
"A  whole  day  gone  by,  and  he  may  still  be  alive." 

She  was  only  a  foolish  woman,  and  they  could  not 
reply  to  her  absjrd  hope.  The  stolid  indifference  in 
their  faces  frenzied  her,  and  she  seized  the  handle  of  the 
windlass,  as  if  she  herself  might  raise  the  many  tons  of 
sand  out  of  the  well. 

The  crank  revolved  easily.  Evidently  the  rope  was 
broken.  One  of  the  men  caught  hold  of  it.  drawing  it 
up  hand  over  hand  in  great  coils.  As  the  end  appeared 
and  was  about  to  be  thrown  aside,  she  caught  it  up  and 
screamed:  "Look!  Look!  It's  been  cut!  He's  alive! 
Dig!  dig!" 

A  moment  of  stupified  silence  followed.  How  was 
it  possible  for  any  one  to  survive  such  an  accident,  or  to 
live  for  an  instant  under  such  a  mass  of  earth.  The 
possibility,  however,  was  enough  to  electrify  Homer 
Files  with  frantic  energy. 

"Go  for  lumber  and  more  men,"  he  cried  to  a  man 
in  the  wagon  as  he  seized  a  spade  and  began  to  dig  at 
the  side  of  the  well,  like  a  madman. 

"Stand  there,  you  petrified  stumps!"  he  screamed, 
as  the  men  stood  silent  in  astonished  unbelief.  "Stand 


DARING    RESCUE.  59 


there,  you  stiff-necked  sinners,  till  the  judgement  day. 
I'll  get  him  out  myself." 

Then  they  comprehended  the  situation,  and  caught 
the  contagion  of  his  excitement.  The  men  sprang  for 
their  spades,  and  the  wagon  rattled  away  at  break-neck 
speed  for  the  village. 

Skinny  on  his  broncho  and  the  pony  with  its  fair 
rider  were  already  out  of  sight  over  the  sand  hills  toward 
the  village,  to  arouse  the  people  to  the  horrible  fact,  that 
Phil  Morris  was  alive  at  the  bottom  of  the  awful  shaft 
in  the  valley. 

Before  the  wagon  that  had  borne  away  the  pine  box 
arrived  at  the  village,  other  wagons  filled  with  digging 
implements  and  lumber  and  excited  men,  were  on  the 
way  to  the  scene  of  the  tragedy.  The  town  and  its 
surroiming  country  were  almost  depopulated  as  the 
exciting  news  spread. 

Within  an  hour,  wagons  loaded  with  excited  people 
offering  their  help  began  to  arrive  at  the  well  from  every 
direction,  and  before  nightfall  the  county  sheriff  with  his 
score  or  more  of  sworn  assistants,  had  taken  possession 
of  the  throngs  of  eager  workmen. 

Homer  Files  directed  the  work  with  frantic  energy, 
and  could  not  be  taken  from  the  shaft,  until  he  fell  un 
conscious  from  exhaustion.  No  man  faltered  while 
strength  lasted,  and  as  fast  as  one  weakened,  in  the 
fierce  race  of  work,  another  took  his  place.  But  the 
treacherous  sand  could  not  be  held  back;  and,  as  fast  as 
a  shaft  was  sunk  half  the  required  distance,  it  caved  in 
with  just  enough  warning  for  the  vigilant  workmen  to 
escape.  Several  days  passed  thus,  and  the  whole 


60  A    PRAIRIE    BEAUTY. 


civilized  world  know  of  the  desperate  race  of  labor  for 
the  life  of  Phil  Morris.  The  last  shaft  was  nearly  to  the 
required  depth.  The  sheriff  and  his  counsellers  decided 
that  if  this  failed,  it  was  a  useless  exposure  of  men  to 
death  to  try  further,  and  orders  would  be  given  for  the 
work  to  cease.  Word  came  up  from  the  men  in  the 
shaft,  that  there  were  signs  of  its  collapse.  Expert  well- 
diggers  were  sent  down,  and  they  reported  that  it  could 
not  last  half  an  hour.  The  conviction  was  forced  upon 
those  in  authority  that  Phil  Morris  could  not  be  now 
alive.  It  was  most  desperate  folly,  they  asserted,  to  try 
to  go  any  deeper.  It  would  be  sure  death  to  the  reck 
less  workmen,  and  a  crime  for  those  in  authority  to 
allow  it. 

The  sun  had  been  down  an  hour  or  more  when  this 
decision  was  reached,  and  the  prairie  around  was  ablaze 
with  bonfires.  The  sheriff  mounted  a  table  and  explained 
the  situation  to  the  impatient  people. 

"In  the  name  of  the  commonwealth,"  he  said  to  the 
hushed  audience,  "I  command  you  to  disperse  peaceably 
and  return  to  your  homes.  Phil  Morris  is  dead." 

Some  were  murmuring  against  this  decision,  others 
thought  he  was  right  and  were  preparing  to  abandon  the 
place,  when  they  were  startled  by  the  cry  of  a  woman: 

"He  is  not  dead.  I  hear  him.  Listen.  He  is 
groaning." 

"Poor,  demented  creature,"  said  the  sheriff.  "They 
were  to  be  married  soon,  and  this  has  made  her  insane. 
Can't  some  one  take  her  away?" 

Her  friends  tried  to  take  her  from  the  edge  of  the 
shaft,  but  she  fought  loose  from  them. 


A    DARING    RESCUE.  6l 


"He  is  there,"  cried  the  shrill  voice  of  Skinny,  who 
never  left  Minnie's  side  and  was  listening  with  her  at  the 
shaft.  "I  tell  you  we  hear  him  groaning  at  the  bottom 
of  the  shaft." 

Homer  Files  fell  on  his  knees  for  a  moment  by  their 
side.  Then  a  great  shout  arose  as  the  people  saw  him 
climb  over  the  curbing  into  the  bucket.  "Lower  me  to 
the  bottom,"  he  screamed. 

Before  anyone  could  interfere,  Minnie  Tinsley  and 
Skinny  were  turning  the  windlass.  A  dozen  men  ran  to 
her  assistance. 

The  old  well  diggers  declared  that  he  was  being  low 
ered  to  certain  death.  The  sheriff  stepped  forward  to 
interfere,  but  a  hundred  men  crowded  him  back.  At 
every  click  of  the  windlass  the  people  expected  to  hear 
the  crash  of  the  collapsing  curbing.  Some  of  the  listen 
ing  ones  declared  that  they  could  already  hear  the  fatal 
sound  of  pouring  sand. 

In  the  midst  of  the  great  suspense,  the  last  down 
ward  turn  of  the  windlass  was  taken,  and  the  clear  sig 
nal  for  hoisting  was  given. 

What  could  it  mean?     The  people  scarcely  breathed. 

An  excited  whisper  from  the  men  at  the  windlass,  a 
word  to  the  sheriff,  and  he  held  up  his  hand. 

"Your  prayers,  good  people,"  he  said.  The  box 
went  down  with  one,  it  is  coming  up  with  two." 

A  few  minutes  of  breathless  silence,  and  a  great  shout 
arose  as  the  box  came  to  the  surface  with  Homer  Files 
holding  in  his  arms  the  unconscious  form  of  Phil  Morris. 
Then  the  superhuman  endurance  of  the  guilty  hero  gave 
way,  and  the  two  men  lay  stretched  out  upon  the  sand, 


62  A    PRAIRIE    BEAUTY. 


while  the  sheriff  and  his  men  tried  to  keep  the  joyful 
people  back.  There  was  one  who  could  do  all  that  was 
needed,  and  she,  with  a  face  radiant  as  an  angel's,  was 
doing  all  that  could  be  done.  The  collapse  of  the  shaft 
came  in  a  moment  after  the  men  were  out,  and  the  dread 
ful  sounds  of  falling  earth  were  mingled  with  the  shouts 
of  the  people. 

In  an  hour  Phil  Morris  could  tell  his  story.  The 
crushed  curbing  had  folded  together  over  the  bucket  like 
a  roof,  holding  the  earth  above  him.  He  shouted  till 
exhausted,  and  no  one  heard  him.  Then  he  thought  to 
cut  the  rope  where  it  was  attached  to  the  sand  box,  and 
this  was  what  had  let  the  people  know  that  he  was  still 
alive.  Time  had  been  nothing  to  him,  in  his  dazed  and 
almost  unconscious  condition,  till  he  heard  sounds  of  men 
working  near  him.  With  some  returning  energy  he 
worked  toward  them,  to  find,  at  last,  the  shaft  deserted." 

But  his  groans  of  despair  had  heen  heard,  and  he 
was  saved. 

During  the  coming  holidays,  there  was  a  wedding  at 
the  village  church,  but  only  a  small  part  of  the  multitude 
could  get  inside  to  hear  the  words  said  by  the  minister 
to  a  most  deserving  bride  and  groom,  "Whom  God  hath 
joined  together,  let  no  man  put  assunder. "  And  the: 
heartiest  congratulations  were  given  by  the  man  who  came 
so  near  having  the  crime  of  murder  recorded  against  his 
soul. 

Whether  from  the  stings  of  conscience  or  from  the 
suspicions  of  his  former  friends,  Homer  Files  left  the 
country,  to  be  heard  of  by  them  no  more. 


HE    GOT    OFF    HIS    BRONCHO    AND    EXAMINED    ONE    OF    THEM.         See    Page    69 


CHAPTER  VI. 


LOST    IN    THE    BAD    LANDS. 


Late  in  the  spring  following  Skinny's  eventful  sojourn 
at  the  ranch  of  his  friend,  Phil  Morris,  the  overwhelming 
desire  came  over  him  to  continue  his  journey  to  Dead- 
wood. 

With  a  better  idea  how  to  keep  his  bearings,  he 
pursued  his  way  uneventfully,  sleeping  on  the  prairie 
with  his  faithful  broncho  or  spending  the  night  at  some 
sod  shanty,  where  the  lonesome  people  were  always  glad 
to  welcome  a  human  being,  however  much  of  a  stranger 
he  might  be. 

No  question  of  ancestry  or  social  standing  were  ever 
thought  of  in  the  simple  hospitality  of  those  places,  and 
the  stranger  became  a  member  of  the  family  at  once. 

Late  one  afternoon  a  few  days  after  Skinnv's  second 
start  toward  the  Northwest,  he  suddenly  heard  the  boom 
of  a  gun  rolling  over  the  hills,  that  was  greater  in  volume 
than  anything  he  had  ever  heard  outside  of  the  Fourth 
of  July  anvils  at  Chadron.  It  was  certainly  not  now  such 
a  holiday,  and  he  rode  forward  with  considerable  curi 
osity  not  unmixed  with  apprehension.  Presently  he 
heard  frequent  rifle  shots  and  then  he  came  in  view  of  a 
great  red,  white  and  blue  striped  wheel,  near  which  stood 
a  man  with  a  wig-wag  flag  behind  a  screen  of  earth.  In 
the  distance  he  could  see  a  group  of  men  in  the  uniform 
of  soldiers.  Just  then  an  officer  left  the  group  and  rode 

63 


64  LOST 

furiously  toward  the  wig-wag  man.  Skinny  was  coming 
up  unperceived  when  the  officer  delivered  his  command 
and  rode  back  as  furiously. 

Some  peculier  idea  struck  the  broncho.  He  probably 
thought  it  was  a  challenge.  In  any  event  he  took  the 
bit  in  his  teeth  and  dashed  past  the  startled  wigwager  as 
if  determened  to  catch  the  officer.  Both  horsemen 
arrived  at  the  same  time  at  the  group  of  soldiers,  who 
were  most  of  them  sitting  on  the  ground,  The  officer 
alighted  gracefully,  but  in  a  spell  of  his  unaccountable  love 
of  mischief  the  broncho  dropped  to  his  knees  and  stuck 
his  head  to  the  ground  so  quickly  and  unexpectedly  that 
Skinny  was  thrown  headlong  across  two  soldiers,  while 
the  broncho  sat  back  on  his  haunches  and  dangled  his 
right  fore  foot  in  friendly  invitation  to  a  hand-shake. 

A  roar  of  laughter  greeted  this  exhibition  and  the 
target  practice  of  the  squad  from  Company  B  of  Fort 
Robinson  was  temporarily  suspended. 

"What's  your  name,  lad?"  asked  Sergeant  Wiley  as 
Skinny  picked  himself  up  and  seized  the  reins  of  his 
broncho,  at  the  same  time  ordering  the  humorous  animal 
to  assume  the  position  and  dignity  of  a  horse. 

"William  Brown,  sir,"  said  the  boy  considerably 
confused  from  his  recent  shaking  up  and  uncermonious 
introduction  to  a  class  of  men  with  whose  habits  he  was 
totally  unfamiliar.  "I  am  William  Brown  of  Chadron 
on  my  way  to  Deadwood."  The  sergeant  laughed. 

"Boys,  this  is  Bronco  Billy  of  Chadron,"  don't  you 
think  he  has  executed  a  pretty  long  flank  movement  to 
the  left?  I  am  afraid  you  wouldn't  make  a  very  good 
despatch  carrier." 


IN    THE    BAD    LANDS.  65 

"Corporal  Bennet,"  he  added,  "we  have  had  enough 
target  practice  for  to-day.  Take  the  boys  back  to  the 
fort." 

The  corporal  did  as  commanded  and  Sergeant  Wiley 
rode  along  by  the  side  of  Skinny  to  whom  he  had  given 
the  name  of  Broncho  Billy. 

"You  and  your  broncho  are  an  odd  pair,"  he  said. 
"I  would  like  to  know  more  of  you.  If  you  want  to  stay 
all  night  at  the  fort,  I  will  get  you  permission  to  do  so. 
You  can  put  your  broncho  in  the  corral  with  a  bunch  of 
horses  sent  us  a  few  days  ago  to  train  for  the  cavalry 
and  bunk  with  me.  In  the  morning  we  are  going  to  put 
the  government  brand  on  the  horses  and  it  will  be  quite  a 
sight  to  see  if  you  never  saw  it  before." 

Sergeant  Wiley  and  Broncho  Billy  became  at  once 
fast  friends.  The  broncho  was  turned  in  with  the  horses 
that  were  taken  nightly  from  the  pasture  to  a  corral 
some  distance  away,  and  Broncho  Billy  found  the  soldiers 
royal  companions. 

The  next  morning  there  occurred  one  of  the  greatest 
sensations  in  the  history  of  the  fort. 

When  those  on  duty  came  to  take  the  horses  to  the 
pasture,  neither  guardsman  nor  horses  were  to  be  seen. 

Had  the  sentinel  turned  traitor  and  run  off  with  them 
or  had  they  broken  out  and  was  he  after  them  trying  to 
turn  them  back? 

The  gate  was  found  broken  down,  but  there  was 
nothing  to  give  any  solution  to  the  mystery.  Within  an 
hour  a  strong  force  of  cavalrymen  headed  by  Sergeant 
Wiley  was  detailed  to  recapture  the  horses  and  the 
thieves  if  the  animals  had  been  stolen. 


66  LOST. 

Broncho  Billy  was  disconsolate  at  the  loss  of  his 
broncho  until  Sergeant  Wiley  told  him  he  could  have  a 
horse  and  accompany  them  on  the  hunt  if  he  desired. 
To  go  on  an  expedition  in  search  of  horsethieves  with  a 
detachment  of  United  States  Cavalry  was  something  to 
fill  him  with  anticipation  and  excitement. 

The  tracks  of  the  horses  were  easily  followed  and  the 
pursuers  had  not  gone  far  until  it  was  certain  that  the 
animals  had  been  driven  away.  At  the  close  of  the  sec 
ond  day  of  the  chase,  they  came  to  a  shallow  branch  of 
the  Cheyenne  River  into  which  the  horses  had  been 
driven  to  hide  their  tracks.  As  it  was  near  sundown  the 
camp  was  pitched  for  the  night.  The  next  morning  the 
cavalrymen  followed  up  the  stream,  scanning  the  shores 
to  discover  where  the  horses  had  left  the  water,  but  mile 
after  mile  was  passed  and  no  trace  of  them  could  be 
seen.  Presently  at  a  distance  the  neigh  of  a  horse  was 
heard. 

"The  broncho,  the  broncho,"  cried  Billy,  "it's  my 
broncho/' 

The  riders  took  to  the  land  and  galloped  forward. 
Beyond  a  bunch  of  scrubby  oaks  the , broncho  was 
seen  in  a  low,  sandy  valley  standing  hesitatingly  at 
the  water's  edge.  Evidently  the  circus  trick  horse  had 
been  too  much  for  the  horsethieves.  Somehow  he  had 
escaped  them  and  was  taking  a  back  track  to  the  fort. 
Perhaps  he  did  not  like  their  discipline,  or  they  may  not 
have  furnished  him  a  satisfactory  quality  and  quantity 
of  food.  Or  one  of  the  men  may  have  tried  to  ride  him 
and  the  animal  had  shown  them  a  trick  or  two  that  they 
had  never  seen  before  in  a  broncho. 


IN    THE    BAD    LANDS.  6/ 


At  any  rate,  Broncho  Billy  joyfully  transferred  his 
saddle  to  the  back  of  the  broncho  and  led  his  cavalry 
horse.  Plainly  at  this  point  the  horses  had  been  driven 
ashore,  but  the  shifting  sands  had  totally  obliterated  all 
their  tracks.  The  entire  day  was  spent  in  endeavoring 
to  find  further  trace,  but  all  signs  had  disappeared  as 
completely  as  if  men  and  horses  had  here  taken  wings. 
Further  search  was  so  clearly  useless  that  Sergeant 
Wiley  decided  to  return  to  the  fort  the  next  morning 
and  organizing  a  more  extended  search  on  a  different 
plan.  At  daylight  the  detachment  mounted  their  horses 
to  return,  but  Broncho  Billy  being  two  or  three  days 
ne.irer  Deadwood  concluded  that  it  was  best  for  him  to 
go  on. 

"Keep  to  the  east,  Billy,"  were  the  parting  words  of 
b;>th  Sergeant  Wiley  and  Corporal  Bennett.  "The  Bad 
Lands  are  on  the  west  line, "  they  warned,  "and  if  you 
ever  get  into  them  you  are  a  goner." 

Broncho  Billy  bade  them  adieu  with  some  misgivings 
and  turned  bravely  out  toward  the  north.  The  broncho 
lowered  his  head  and  struck  the  monotonous  pace  which 
those  hardy  animals  are  able  to  keep  without  tiring  for 
an  incredible  distance. 

The  sandy  valley  soon  gave  way  to  interminable 
ridges,  covered  with  almost  impassable  scrubby  oak 
brush.  After  passing  over  one  particularly  high  ridge 
and  coming  into  a  narrow  valley  beyond  which  was  a 
still  more  formidable  ridge,  Broncho  Billy  paused  and 
considered  the  advisability  of  passing  along  the  valley  to 
find  a  more  desirable  way,  although  it  led  directly  west, 
against  which  he  had  been  so  emphatically  warned. 


68  LOST 

However,  the  way  was  so  inviting  that  he  decided  to  risk 
it.  Within  an  hour  he  congratulated  himself  on  coming  to 
a  plain  that  appeared  to  be  as  level  as  a  floor  and  endless. 
He  turned  around  a  rocky  bluff  that  ran  almost  in  a 
straight  line  northward  like  the  monotonous  edge  of  a 
great  sea.  Surely  this  was  fortunate,  since  he  could 
follow  the  great  wall  and  thus  have  no  fear  of  losing  his 
direction. 

In  the  course  of  an  hour  he  began  to  notice  that  the 
scant  vegetation  became  scantier  and  nowhere  had  he 
seen  any  signs  of  water.  Was  this  the  dreadful  Bad 
Lands  against  which  he  had  been  warred?  The  thought 
was  somewhat  startling  and  he  carefully  husbanded  the 
two  days'  rations  which  Sergeant  Wiley  had  issued  to 
him  at  their  parting  that  morning.  The  plain  had  now 
taken  on  the  appearance  of  a  vast  desert  covered  deep 
with  a  white  dust  that  looked  like  flour.  He  could  not 
look  back  toward  the  declining  sun,  there  was  such  a 
glint  of  whiteness  from  the  dry  flour-like  earth.  The 
discovery  of  the  absence  of  water  brought  the  thoughts 
of  thirst  and  with  it  the  thirst.  Night  came  on  and  there 
was  the  same  endless  mountain  wall  at  his  side  and  the 
same  stretch  of  white,  arid  plains  before  him. 

In  one  of  the  deep  crevices  of  the  great  perpendicu 
lar  cliff,  he  spread  his  blanket  and  lay  down  to  sleep  for 
the  night,  but  his  burning  thirst  made  him  feverish.  The 
next  morning  his  tongue  and  throat  seemed  swollen. 
Horrible  pictures  of  death  in  the  desert  were  constantly 
before  him,  but  he  mounted  his  broncho  and  struggled 
on.  To  go  back  seemed  to  be  more  certain  in  the  chances 
of  destruction  than  to  go  forward,  for  surely  the  end  of 


SNOW-SHOE-MEET,     MONTREAL,     CAN. 


IN    THE    BAD    LANDS.  69 

all  this  must  be  nearer  toward  the  north  than  to  the 
point  where  he  had  entered  this  dreadful  place.  He 
eagerly  scanned  the  precipitious  cliff.  There  were  many 
places  where  he  could  have  climbed  to  the  top  himself, 
but  that  meant  abandoning  the  broncho  to  a  most 
cruel  death.  It  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  If  they 
had  to  die,  they  would  die  together.  Even  if  he  were 
to  reach  the  top  of  the  bluffs,  would  he  find  water? 
This  doubt  made  the  experiment  seem  more  useless. 
Some  change  was  taking  place  in  the  surface  over  which 
he  was  traveling,  for  the  whiteness  changed  to  a  ruddy 
glow  and  he  entered  a  field  of  rocks  that  struck  him  as 
wonderfully  similar  to  human  heads.  The  thought  horri 
fied  him.  Were  these  the  remains  of  persons  like  him 
self  who  had  perished  on  these  plaius?  He  got  off  his 
bronco  and  examined  one  of  them.  In  its  side  he  could 
trace  the  resemblance  of  eyes,  nose  and  mouth.  Others 
that  he  examined  were  even  more  striking  in  their  sig 
nificant  details.  He  sprang  upon  the  broncho  and  urged 
him  at  a  rapid  pace  through  this  terrible  spectacle. 

Some  distance  before  him  he  could  see  a  round  top 
ped  hill  and  stretching  away  from  it  a  low  bank  that 
looked  red  as  blood  under  the  noonday  sun.  Perhaps 
here  was  a  stream  of  water,  and  full  of  hope  he  rode  on. 
True  enough  he  found  the  bed  of  a  deep  stream,  but  if 
running  water  had  ever  been  there  it  must  have  been  ages 
ago.  Almost  in  despair  he  rode  over  it  and  on  into  the 
plains  of  white  flour  beyond. 

Night  came  on  and  the  stinging  racking  thirst  was 
almost  intolerable.  Death  was  surely  near,  and  in  such 
a  place!  For  the  first  time  in  years  he  burst  into  tears 


7O  LOST 

and  for  a  moment  he  felt  relieved  and  hopeful.  Then 
again  the  terror  came  over  him  of  perishing  here  in  slow 
torture  with  none  to  pity  and  with  not  one  in  all  the 
world  to  see  or  care.  Then  he  remembered  his  little 
playmate,  Sally  of  the  slums.  If  she  knew  she  would  care. 
The  thought  comforted  him. 

As  it  was  becoming  too  dark  to  see  the  way,  the  boy 
drew  the  rein  of  the  broncho  toward  a  crevice  in  the  bluff, 
but  the  bronco  would  not  obey.  He  plodded  obstinately 
forward.  Feverish  and  crazed,  the  boy  became  frantic 
with  anger.  He  jerked  the  rein  with  all  his  strength, 
goaded  the  animal  in  the  sides  with  his  heels  and  struck 
him  over  the  head  with  his  fist  until  exhausted.  Un 
mindful  of  such  unnatural  treatment  never  before  received 
from  his  youthful  master  the  patient  beast  plodded  on. 
In  the  reaction  that  followed  the  boy  sank  into  the 
lethergy  of  despair,  shut  his  eyes  and  bent  his  head  for 
ward  upon  the  broncho's  neck.  How  long  this  continued 
he  did  not  know,  but  suddenly  he  was  aroused  bv  the 
sudden  stoppage  of  the  animal  and  then  a  cautious  step 
downward.  So  steep  was  the  descent  that  it  was  all  the 
boy  could  do  to  keep  his  place  in  the  saddle.  Slowly 
and  cautiously  step  by  step  the  sure-footed  broncho 
moved  downward.  So  long  did  this  continue  that  the 
boy  became  horrified  at  the  depths  to  which  they  seemed 
to  be  descending.  Cold  damp  air  struck  his  face  with  a 
most  grateful  and  reviving  feeling.  Presently  he  heard 
a  sound  that  caused  him  to  try  to  shout  for  joy,  but  his 
tongue  and  throat  were  too  much  swollen  for  him  to  be 
able  to  utter  more  than  a  groan.  He  heard  the  trick 
ling  of  falling  water  growing  nearer  and  clearer.  It 


. 

HE    DISMOUNTED    AND    SALUTED    HER    IN    HIS    MOST    COURTLY    FASHION. 

See  Page  79 


IN    THE    BAD    LANDS. 


seemed  an  age  that  the  careful  plodding  steps  of  the 
broncho  continued.  Impatiently  the  frenzied  boy  struck 
the  patient  little  beast  again  and  again  to  hurry  him  on, 
but  the  downward  plodding  step  continued  to  be  planted 
as  firmly  and  carefully  as  before. 

At  last  the  sounds  showed  that  the  coveted  water 
was  at  hand.  The  broncho  stopped  and  began  to  swallow 
in  great  gulps,  the  boy  leaped  to  the  ground,  found  the 
stream  at  the  horses  head  and  buried  his  face  in  the 
cooling  liquid.  Then  he  crawled  back  against  the  bank 
and  slept  till  morning. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


THE    LILY    OF    PARDISE    VALLEY. 


When  Broncho  Billy  awoke  the  next  morning  he  was 
amazed  to  find  himself  at  the  bottom  of  a  narrow  gulch, 
whose  sides  reached  upward  in  steep  ascent  still  they 
seemed  almost  to  touch  the  shy.  He  looked  at  the  path 
down  which  his  broncho  had  come  the  preceding  night 
and  it  made  him  gasp  to  see  the  perilous  and  almost 
incredible  descent  that  had  been  made.  But  far  above 
the  sides  he  could  see  the  towering  points  of  five  peaks 
in  the  great  wall  forming  a  kind  of  semi-circle. 

Then  he  thought  of  the  broncho.  This  invaluable 
friend  to  which  he  owed  his  life  was  no  where  to  be 


72  THE    LILY 

seen.  He  looked  about  and  found  that  the  ground  here 
and  there  between  the  flinty  bedding  of  stone,  was 
covered  with  the  innumerable  tracks  of  horses.  This 
was  a  mystery  since  he  seemed  to  be  in  a  kind  of  pocket 
set  under  the  peaks.  There  was  but  one  way  to  go.  The 
stream  flowed  directly  into  the  mountain  and  he  followed 
it.  A  few  rods  brought  him  into  a  tunnel-like  crevice  at 
the  farther  end  of  which  he  could  see  light.  As  he 
neared  this  place  he  could  see  forty  or  fifty  horses  among 
which  was  the  broncho  placidly  eating  hay. 

They  had  a  familiar  appearance  and  it  suddenly  flashed 
upon  him  that  here  were  the  stolen  horses.  The  recog 
nition  brought  with  it  a  feeling  of  consternation.  If  the 
horsethieves  were  to  find  that  he  had  discovered  their 
hiding  place,  what  would  they  do  to  him?  The  horses 
were  snugly  secreted  in  this  pit  ending  in  a  kind  of  open 
curl  in  the  cliffs. 

A  heavy  rough-hewn  high  oaken  gate  at  the  end  of 
the  tunnel  opening  in  to  a  valley  beyond,  concealed  the 
interior,  but  let  in  abundant  light  through  the  remaining 
upper  part  of  the  crevice. 

Suddenly  he  heard  the  clear,  mellow  voice  of  a  girl 
singing  somewhere  near  outside.  He  climed  to  the  top 
of  the  gate  and  saw  her  clipping  a  bouquet  of  flowers  in 
a  garden  just  beyond.  He  could  see  that  the  open  space 
without  was.  much  like  the  form  of  a  huge  bowl  a  mile 
or  more  in  diameter  sunk  in  the  earth.  The  great  walls 
three  or  four  hundred  feet  in  hight  were  plainly  visible 
all  around.  Over  his  head  towered  the  five  great  peaks 

like   steeples  set    in   the  bluffs   along  which  he  had  been 

» 
riding. 


OF    PARADISE    VALLEY.  73 

The  bottom  of  this  bowl  set  in  the  desert  against  the 
mountain  ridge  was  clearly  well-watered  and  a  fertile 
spot,  if  the  rank  vegetation  of  all  kinds  before  him  was 
any  indication. 

He  thought  how  beautiful  the  girl  appeared,  even 
fully  as  pretty  as  his  friend  Minnie  Tinsley,  now  the 
wife  of  Phil  Morris.  The  thought  of  Minnie  gave  him 
courage  and  the  innocent  beauty  of  the  girl  gathering 
flowers  gave  him  assurance.  He  climbed  down  from  the 
gate  and  approached  her.  She  turned  at  his  step  with 
every  appearance  of  bewilderment  in  her  face.  . 

"How  did  you  get  in  here?"  she  asked. 

"Rode  in!"  he  exclaimed. 

"Rode  in,"  she  repeated.  "That's  not  possible  except 
by  the  Paradise  Valley  road  on  the  other  side.  " 

"That's  because  you  don't  know  my  horse,"  he  re 
plied.  "I  have  a  broncho  that  can  climb  up  or  down  a 
wall.  " 

She  laughed  and  then  replied,    "well  I  believe  it." 

"By  the  way"  he  said,  "I  came  here  through  Death 
Valley  or  whatever  you  want  to  call  it.  My  broncho  has 
accepted  the  invitation  of  his  friends  there  in  the  stable 
to  eat  hay,  and  I  would  be  everlastingly  obliged  if  some 
one  would  ask  me  to  accept'  a  bite." 

"Why,  goodness  knows,  yes,"  she  answered,  "I 
hadn't  thought  of  that.  Come  with  me  and  mother  will 
fill  you  in  a  minute." 

"In  a  minute!"  he  exclaimed,  "don't  you  believe  it. 
In  rny  present  state  no  one  can  fill  me  in  less  than  an 
hour." 

They  came  to  a  comodious    home    built    against   the 


74  THE    LILY 

smooth  wall  of  the  cliff.  A  woman  and  a  man  stood  at 
the  door. 

"Law  me,  Helen,  where'd  you  get  that?"  exclaimed 
the  women. 

"Found  him  in  the  garden,"  she  answered  truthfully, 
"and  he's  awful  hungry.  Says  you  can't  fill  him  in  an 
hour." 

"Come  in,  young  man,"  said  the  host  pleasantly, 
going  into  the  house,  "what's  yaur  name?" 

"The  soldiers  at  Fort  Robinson  called  me  Broncho 
Billy  and  I  guess  that's  as  good  as  any,"  he  replied. 

"Well,  then  Broncho  Billy,"  laughed  the  host,  "My 
name  is  Wisner,  and  I'm  glad  to  have  you  here,  but  I 
am  curious  to  know  how  you  stumbled  in  the  back  way. 
I  never  knew  any  body  to  come  that  way  before.  Did 
you  fall  from  the  top  of  the  cliff  and  light  on  your  feet?'! 

Then  with  abundance  of  boiled  beef  and  potatoes  be 
fore  him,  Broncho  Billy  told  his  story  straight  through, 
leaving  out  however,  all  reference  to  stolen  horses  and 
horse-thieves.  He  was  simply  on  his  way  from  Chadron 
by  way  of  Fort  Robinson  to  Deadwood.  Mr.  Wisner 
then  told  a  remarkable  story  of  how  he  had  once  been 
on  his  way  to  Deadwood  in  a  wagon  train  when  Helen 
was  a  baby.  Indians  had  attacked  and  killed  most  of 
his  companions,  but  he  had  escaped  with  his  wife  and 
child.  After  wandering  about  lost  on  the  plateau  above 
he  had  found  this  fertile  bowl  of  land,  built  his  hut  there 
safe  from  harm;  and  in  gratitude  had  fittingly  named  it 
Paradise  Valley.  He  took  Broncho  Billy  over  his  farm 
and  indeed  it  looked  like  a  place  suited  to  be  a  paradise. 

"The  cattle  are  all  mine,"  said  Mr.  Wisner,"  but  the 


MR.  FRAMS. 


See  Page  75 


OF    PARADISE    VALLEY.  75 

horses  belong  to  neighbor  Frams,  who  owns  a  ranch  just 
back  of  Five  Points  on  the  plains  above.  He  wants  to 
hide  them  with  me  for  a  while  because  it  is  reported 
that  Doc.  Middleton  is  in  the  country  running  off  horses 
whenever  he  can  find  them." 

Broncho  Billy  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief.  Surely  Helen 
Wisner's  father  was  not  the  thief.  The  instinct  of  prud 
ence  kept  him  silent,  however,  and  he  resolved  to  start 
back  to  the  fort  the  next  morning  by  way  of  the  plains 
above.  Notwithstanding  the  amiable  protestations  of 
his  host,  Broncho  Billy  announced  that  he  must  resume 
his  journey. 

The  way  from  Paradise  Valley  was  up  a  long  wind 
ing  gulch  to  the  plateau  of  open  country.  From  the 
upper  plains  the  peaks  of  Five  Points  looked  like  high 
sugarloaf  hills  partially  detached  from  the  bluffs.  Lost 
in  the  distance  toward  the  west  was  the  vast  desert  of 
the  Bad  Lands,  which  had  been  so  nearly  fatal  to  him. 
In  other  directions  were  the  broken  but  forest-covered 
lands  on  which  could  sometime  live  great  numbers  of 
people.  He  looked  down  into  the  sunken  bowl  of 
Paradise  Valley  and  wished  that  he  could  own  a  few  of 
the  cattle  which  he  saw  below.  He  noted  curiously  that 
they  looked  less  in  size  than  sheep  owing  to  their 
distance. 

Near  by  he  could  see  the  ranch  of  Mr.  Frams  whom 
he  believed  to  be  one  of  the  men  guilty  of  running  off 
the  horses  from  the  fort.  This  thought  recalled  him  to 
the  duty  before  him.  Instead  of  following  the  direction 
given  him  by  Mr.  Wisner  for  reaching  Deadwood,  he 
struck  off  South  toward  Fort  Robinson.  He  had  more 


76  THE     LILY 

experience  now  in  such  travelling  and  he  made  better 
time  toward  his  destinaton. 

Near  nightfall  he  endeavored  to  turn  the  broncho 
into  a  sheltered  place  for  the  night,  but  the  sagacious 
animal  took  the  bits  in  his  teeth  and  passed  on  an -mid 
the  hill.  A  few  rods  farther  was  to  be  seen  the  camp  of 
a  score  of  soldiers.  Broncho  Billy  recognized  his  friends 
Corporal  Bennet  and  Sergeant  Wiley.  He  at  once  hailed 
them.  At  their  tent  was  a  young  civillian  whom  they 
introduced  to  him  as  Bradley  Van  Dusen,  a  young  man 
from  the  East  who  was  seei.ig  the  West.  He  had  come- 
to  the  fort  just  as  they  were  about  to  set  out  on  a  second 
expedition  in  search  of  the  horsethieves,  and  begged  to 
be  perrnited  to  accompany  them.  The  soldier  who 
had  guarded  the  horses  on  the  night  they  were  stolen  led 
the  expedition.  He  had  been  carried  away  with  the 
horses  by  the  thieves  for  a  day's  journey  and  was  then 
dropped  to  make  his  way  back  the  best  he  could.  This 
soldier  believed  that  he  had  learned  some  valuable  in 
formation  about  the  thieves  and  the  soldiers  were  directed 
to  see  if  what  he  had  learned  was  true. 

Bradley  Van  Dusen  and  Broncho  Billy  became  at 
once  fast  friends.  He  was  doubly  of  interest  to  the  boy 
when  Broncho  Billy  found  that  he  was  from  New  York 
City.  Broncho  Billy  had  not  forgotten  Sally  or  the  days 
when  he  was  Skinny  of  the  slums. 

Sergeant  Wiley  was  much  amused  when  he  first 
recognized  the  boy  whom  he  had  dubbed  Broncho  Billy 
riding  into  camp  on  the  interesting  trick  horse. 

"Hello,  Billy,"  he  cried,  "have  you  done  up  Dead- 
wood  already?  Or,  perhaps  you  have  dicided  to  reach 


OF    PARADISE    VALLEY. 


Deadwood  by  circumnavigating  the  globe  by  way  of  the 
South  pole." 

"Naw!"  said  Billy,  as  if  he  were  giving  an  unimpor 
tant  answer.  "I  knew  you  were  all  no  good  to  hunt 
horsethieves  so  I  just  found  the  horses  for  you  and  was 
coming  to  tell  you  where  to  go  for  them  if  you  really 
wanted  them. " 

This  information  created  a  sensation,  but  Billy 
stolidly  refused  to  tell  anything  more  and  insisted  that 
he  should  be  made  boss  of  the  hunt.  This  was  agreed 
upon  and  the  next  morning  the  expedition  set  out  under 
his  leadership.  In  one  of  the  gulch-like  valleys  beyond 
the  ranch  of  Mr.  Frams,  the  soldiers  pitched  their  tents 
the  next  evening.  That  night  Sergeant  Wiley,  Corporal 
Bennett  and  Bradley  Van  Dusen,  led  by  Broncho  Billy, 
felt  their  way  down  the  long  winding  gulch  into  Paradise 
Valley.  They  crept  around  the  wall  to  the  great  crevice 
forming  the  remarkable  natural  stables  where  the  horses 
were  kept.  As  they  approached  the  place  the  move 
ments  of  numerous  horses  were  heard,  indicating  that  it 
was  soon  to  be  proven  whether  Broncho  Billy  had  been 
mistaken.  They  easily  scaled  the  high  gate  and  Ser 
geant  Wiley  lighted  a  dark  lantern.  He  instantly  recog 
nized  that  the  find  was  correct,  and  a  rapid  survey  con 
vinced  him  that  not  a  horse  of  the  entire  lot  lost  at  the 
fort  was  missing  from  this  group.  They  returned  to  the 
camp  knowing  that  they  had  the  horses,  but  it  was 
equally  as  desirable  to  secure  the  thieves.  Mr  Wisner 
might  be  innocent,  Mr.  Frams  might  be  only  a  guilty 
receiver  of  stolen  goods.  Corporal  Bennett  with  five 
soldiers,  accompanied  by  Bradley  Van  Dusen  and 


78  THE    LILY 

Broncho  Billy,  who  insisted  on  being  in  at  all  excite 
ment,  went  early  in  the  morning  to  arrest  Mr.  Frams  at 
his  house.  Broncho  Billy  and  Bradley  Van  Dusen 
being  in  the  clothing  of  civilians,  volunteered  to  go  to 
the  house  while  the  others  remained  concealed,  to  see  if 
the  man  wanted  was  at  home.  They  found  an  old  negro 
drawing  some  water  at  a  well  for  a  score  of  cows  and 
horses.  To  Bradley  Van  Dusen  the  well  was  itself 
enough  of  a  curiosity  to  make  him  momentarily  forget 
his  mission.  Its  great  depth  was  shown  by  the  coils  of 
rope  on  the  windlass.  Its  diameter  was  not  more  than 
twelve  inches.  The  bucket  lifted  out  was  not  more 
than  eight  inches  in  diameter  and  fully  a  yard  in  length. 
On  the  bottom  of  this  tube  was  a  valve  through  which 
the  water  entered  and  was  emptied. 

"Is  Mr.  Frams  at  home?"  was  the  inquiry. 

"Lor'  Marse  Man,"  was  the  reply,  "He's  nebber 
home.  Speck  him  ebber  minute,  nebber  speck  him  'tall. 
Sometimes  he  draps  down  wid  forty  'leben  friends,  some 
times  draps  down  by  himself  all  tired  out." 

The  visitors  went  on  to  the  house  and  all  they  could 
find  was  a  typical  Southern  mammy  and  her  children. 
They  were  unable  to  secure  any  further  information  or 
to  discover  any  thing  more  suspicious. 

On  receiving  this  report  Sergeant  Wiley  moved  his 
force  to  a  more  secure  and  secreted  place  where  the  out 
let  of  Paradise  Valley  could  be  guarded  without  the 
soldiers  being  seen.  Then  taking  a  pack  horse  and  its 
camp  equipage,  he  selected  Corporal  Bennett  and  two 
regulars  to  go  with  him  and  the  two  civillians  to  pay  a 
visit  to  Mr.  Wisner.  It  was  his  intention  to  remain  over 


MONTMORENCI    FALLS,    QUEBEC,   CANADA. 


OF    PARADISE    VALLEY. 


night  in  the  Valley  and  the  next  morning  to  arrest  Mr. 
Wisner  and  take  him  with  the  horses  back  to  the  fort. 

Broncho  Billy  and  Bradley  Van  Dusen  accompanied 
Sergeant  Wiley  in  advance  of  the  others.  At  the  peculiar 
house  set  in  the  side  of  the  rocky  bluff  no  one  could  be 
found.  The  doors  were  open  and  domestic  animals  were 
basking  in  the  sunshine  under  the  holyhock  and  fruit 
trees,  but  the  family  was  gone.  It  was  a  beautiful  day 
in  Paradise  Valley  and  doubtless  the  inmates  had  gone  to 
some  other  part  of  the  farm  to  look  after  their  stock. 
In  order  to  find  them  soonest  the  three  horsemen  separ 
ated  and  rode  back  through  the  valley.  Here  and  there 
were  patches  of  trees  which  soon  hid  one  another  from 
view. 

Bradley  Van  Dusen  took  the  pathway  next  to  the 
corral  of  horses  and  soon  came  to  a  garden  in  which  he 
saw  a  girl  busy  at  work.  Riding  up  he  dismounted  and 
saluted  her  in  the  most  courtly  fashion.  She  was  much 
astonshed  and  confused  at  his  sudden  appearance  in  that 
unfrequented  place  of  a  stranger  so  unusually  polite  in 
his  conduct  and  polished  in  appearance. 

''Pray  absolve  me  from  any  thought  of  flattery,"  he 
said,  "but  the  view  before  as  I  came  up  surpassed  any 
painting  ever  done  by  the  masters." 

"Is  Paradise  Valley  so  nice  as  that,"  she  answered. 
"I  thought  the  paitings  of  the  masters  were  so  glorious 
and  this  valley  seems  to  me  so  much  like  a  walled-in 
corral  for  cattle,  and  nothing  more." 

"It  is  the  most  beautiful  and  picturesque  spot  I  ever 
saw,"  he  declared  enthusiastically. 

"You  do  not  know  it  as  I  do,"  she   protested.      "We 


SO  THE    LILY 

can  see  the  sun  only  from  nine  o'clock  till  three  and  I 
have  not  seen  a  new  face  a  dozen  times  a  year  all  my 
life.  Father  now  and  then  brings  home  some  news 
papers,  magazines  and  books  and  I  read  them  through 
and  through.  Mother  teaches  me  a  little  to  paint  and 
sing  and  I  receive  letters  from  my  cousins  in  New  York, 
but  I  am  now  nearly  eighteen  and  I  have  never  yet  seen 
even  a  village.  But  father  promises  to  take  me  soon  to 
Buffalo  Gap  and  perhaps  even  on  to  Deadwood,  then  I 
may  learn  something  about  what  the  world  looks  like 
and  see  how  men  and  woman  of  fashion  act.  " 

"Who  are  you,"  she  asked,  her  curiosity  interrupting 
her  train  of  thought,  "and  who  came  with  you?" 

"Pardon  me,"  he  answered.  "My  name  is  Van 
Dusen  and  I  was  piloted  here  by  a  boy  whose  only  name 
known  to  me  is  Broncho  Billy." 

"Oh!"  she  exclaimed  her  face  brightening,  "he  is  a 
good  boy  and  I  am  glad  to  welcome  you  here." 

"I  came  from  the  fort,"  he  continued,  "with  some 
soldiers  who  claim  to  be  scouting  around  looking  for 
some  Indians  that  have  left  the  reservation  without  per 
mission." 

"More  likely  they  are  looking  for  horsethieves,"  she 
added.  "Father  says  they  are  abroad  now  and  neighbor 
Frams  is  very  much  excited  for  fear  they  will  get  his 
stock." 

Just  then  the  sounds  of  voices  were  heard  approach 
ing  from  behind  a  clump  of  trees. 

"Father  and  mother  are  coming  back,"  she  said,  "and 
your  friends  must  be  with  them." 

Her    parents    came    up    riding    a    single     horse    and 


BEFORE  THE  PEAST  THAT  HE  HAD  COME   TO   KILL    HE    CROUCHED  IN 
TERROR.  See  Page  85 


OF    PARDISE    VALLEY.  8 1 

accoompanied  by  Sergeant  Wiley  and  Broncho  Billy. 
After  exchange  of  greetings  all  started  for  the  house, 
Bradley  Van  Dusen  walking  with  the  Lily  of  the  Valley. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


CATAMOUNTS    AND    HORSETHIEVES. 


When  Mr.  Wisner  reached  the  house,  Corporal  Ben 
nett  had  already  arrived  with  two  regulars  and  pitched 
their  tents  near  by.  The  early  night  of  Paradise  Valley 
was  coming  and  the  soldiers  were  sitting  down  at  the 
table  of  Mr.  Wisner,  who  insisted  on  having  them  all  as 
his  guests,  when  neighbor  Frams  entered  the  door. 
Without  betraying  his  satisfaction  at  the  appearance  of 
the  much-desired  visitor,  Sergeant  Wiley  privately  issued 
the  command  that  neither  of  the  men  were  to  be  allowed 
out  of  sight,  and  should  either  attempt  to  leave, 
both  should  be  at  once  arrested  and  put  under  guard. 
But  it  was  desirable  to  put  off  the  arrest  as  long  as  pos 
sible  so  that  as  much  evidence  might  be  gathered  as 
could  be  obtained. 

In  the  course  of  the  conversation  that  followed,  Mr. 
Frams  said  that  he  had  just  discovered  a  den  of  cata 
mounts  in  one  of  the  highest  peaks  of  Five  Points,  and 
he  invited  the  company  to  go  with  him  and  smoke  them 
out. 


82  CATAMOUNTS    AND    HORSETHIEVES. 

It  was  a  rare  and  promising  sport,  too  desirable  to  be 
ignored,  and  the  visitors  enthusiastically  entered  into  the 
excitement  of  the  proposed  hunt.  After  a  toilsome  climb 
upward  along  the  uncertain  footing  of  the  craggy  peak, 
they  reached  the  level  of  the  plain  with  which  the  Five 
Points  were  connected  by  a  rugged  seam  of  stone.  The 
sun  had  set  and  the  rnoon  was  showing  clear  above  the 
huge  rocks  when  the  party  reached  the  point  indicated 
as  the  location  of  the  den. 

"We'll  have  to  smoke  the  varments  out  from  a  hole 
in  the  top,"  said  Frams.  "The  den  opens  into  the  narrow 
path  that  winds  around  the  edge,  and  we  will  make  the 
animals  come  out  there." 

A  huge  bonfire  was  prepared  in  the  path  on  each  side 
of  the  den  made  of  roots  and  shrubs  that  were  found  in 
abundance  not  far  away  on  a  large  level  area  jetting  out 
from  the  mountain  top.  Behind  the  fire  on  one  side  were 
stationed  the  two  soldiers  and  on  the  other  side  Billy 
and  his  companion,  while  Frams  and  Wisner  dropped 
fire  brands  into  the  den  through  the  opening  into  the 
cave  from  far  above.  The  insecure  footing  in  the  path 
and  the  yellow  glow  of  the  bonfires  added  an  element  of 
terror  to  the  danger  of  the  sport.  Stretching  far  away 
to  the  west  was  the  black  void  of  the  vast  waste  of  desert 
Bad  Lands.  Yawning  directly  below  their  feet  was  a 
blacker  void  that,  for  all  fancies  of  the  imagination,  was 
bottomless. 

In  a  spirit  of  recklessness  and  daring  Broncho  Billy 
sprang  over  his  bonfire,  ran  along  the  narrow  ledge  be 
fore  the  den  and  jumped  over  the  fire  by  the  soldiers. 
Not  to  be  outdone  by  a  boy,  his  companion  followed. 


. 


' 


MONTMORENCY    FALLS    IN    WINTER,    QUEBEC,    CANADA. 


CATAMOUNTS    AND    HORSETHIEVES.  83 

"You  have  left  your  post  in  time  of  danger,"  said 
Sergeant  Wiley,  banteringly.  "My  detail  will  have  to 
occupy  your  abandoned  position  before  the  enemy  can 
take  advantage  of  your  desertion." 

So  saying,  the  Sergeant  and  the  Corporal  emulated 
the  example  of  the  venturesome  youths  and  crossed  over 
to  the  north  side  of  the  cave. 

Smoke  commenced  to  issue  from  the  mouth  of  the 
den  and  there  was  evidence  from  certain  sounds  and  low 
growls  that  there  could  be  no  more  by-play. 

In  front  of  the  entrance  to  the  den  was  the  precipice, 
back  of  it  the  blank  wall,  and  on  either  side  the  narrow 
path  guarded  by  the  men  and  the  bonfires  which  were 
now  made  to  burn  up  brightly. 

Broncho  Billy  was  looking  up  to  see  if  there  was  yet 
any  light  from  the  firebrands  the  two  men  at  the  top 
were  supposed  to  be  throwing  into  the  den,  when  he 
suddenly  grasped  his  companion's  arm  and  jerked  him 
back  in  the  path,  both  of  them  falling  down  and  almost 
rolling  off  into  the  black  abyss  below.  At  the  same  time 
there  was  a  deafening  crash  as  a  huge  mass  of  rock  struck 
the  spot  in  the  path  where  they  had  stood  and  bounded 
over. 

As  Bradley  Van  Dusen  and  Broncho  Billy  got  to 
their  feet,  the  great  stone,  weighing,  perhaps,  a  ton  or 
more,  could  be  heard  crushing  through  the  trees  at  the 
foot  of  the  crag. 

Broncho  Billy  grasped  his  friend's  hand  in  great  ex 
citement. 

"Sure,"  he  said,  "I  saw  a  man's  body  go  down  with 
the  stone.  I  believe  it  was  Wisner. " 


84  CATAMOUNTS    AND    HOR5ETHIEVES. 

The  soldiers  dropped  their  fire  brands  and  ran  back 
up  the  side  of  the  cliff  to  the  fiat  ledge  over  the  top  of 
the  cave  ;  as  they  did  so  they  called  upon  Van  Dusen 
and  Broncho  Billy  to  prevent  Frams  from  passfng  them. 

The  bonfires  below  cast  up  light  enough  for  them  to 
see  Frams  climbing  around  the  side  of  the  cliff,  as  if  to 
escape  on  the  other  side,  down  to  the  ridge  that  con 
nected  the  ridge  with  the  plains. 

"Halt,"  cried  the  soldiers,  leveling  their  guns  at  him. 
But  he  dropped  like  a  cat  to  a  ledge  below,  where  he 
suddenly  found  his  pathway  as  sternly  blocked  by  the 
leveled  weapons  of  Van  Dusen  and  Broncho  Billy. 

Screening  himself  in  the  dark  shadows,  he  slid  like  a 
serpent  downward  to  the  path  that  ran  before  the  den, 
hoping  to  escape  along  its  southward  decline.  But 
Broncho  Billy  saw  the  maneuver  and  intercepted  him. 
The  man  could  not  face  the  certain  death  of  the  revolver 
and  so  he  retreated  backward  behind  the  rocky  projec 
tions  toward  the  bonfires. 

There  were  no  more  ledges  below  to  which  he  could 
drop,  and  he  could  not  climb  upward  as  he  had  come 
down.  Evidently  he  had  calculated  to  a  nicety  to  crush 
the  soldiers  under  the  mass  of  stone  he  had  pushed  over, 
not  knowing  that  they  had  changed  to  the  northern  side. 
This  would  have  left  him  a  clear  way  down  the  south 
end  of  the  path.  Only  the  quickness  of  Broncho  Billy 
had  saved  the  downward  path  from  being  clear  to  him. 

There  was  no  way  for  him  to.  go  but  over  the  bon 
fires  along  the  path  before  the  entrance  of  the  den.  He 
would  be  safe  if  he  could  do  so  before  the  soldiers  could 


MONUMENT    OF    WOLFE    AND    MONTCALM,    QUEBEC,    CANADA. 


CATAMOUNTS    AND    HORSETHIEVES.  85 

return  to  the  path  where  they  had  been.  Perchance 
they  might  have  continued  to  follow  him,  and  so  would 
be  out  of  the  way.  He  perceived  the  situation  and  made 
a  dash  for  the  only  way  of  escape.  But  it  was  too  late. 
Just  as  he  was  about  to  leap  over  the  last  bonfire  Ser 
geant  Wiley  reached  the  path  and  thrust  a  carbine  into 
his  face. 

"Surrender,"  he  cried,   ''or  you  are  a  dead  man." 

Without  replying,  the  defeated  man  stepped  back 
ward. 

What  he  was  about  to  do  is  not  known,  since  at  the 
the  same  moment  there  was  a  series  of  sharp  growls  and 
the  heads  of  two  huge  catamounts  appeared  at  the  open 
ing  of  the  den. 

The  firebrands  that  had  been  thrown  into  the  den  be 
fore  the  tragedy  began  had  evidently  begun  to  burn 
together,  for  smoke  commenced  to  pour  out  of  the  cave, 
forcing  the  angered  animals  out  into  the  path  near  where 
the  baffled  criminal  stood. 

"Let  the  beasts  perish  together,"  cried  Sergeant 
Bennett. 

Hardly  had  he  said  these  words  when  the  animals, 
maddened  by  the  smoke  and  bewildered  by  the  bonfires 
on  each  side,  saw  the  author  of  their  miseries  before 
them.  He  had  courage  enough,  man  to  man,  but  before 
these  beasts  that  he  had  come  to  kill  he  crouched  in 
terror.  The  uncertainty  and  suspense  was  not  long.  A 
roll  of  smoke  covered  them.  There  was  a  cat-like  hiss, 
a  struggle,  a  scream,  and  after  a  momentary  interval  a 
sickening  sound  arose  from  the  black  depths  of  the  earth 


86  PARADISE    VALLEY. 


far  below.  The  men  had  kept  the  path  covered  with  their 
revolvers  and  carbines,  but  when  the  smoke  cleared  away 
there  was  nothing  but  the  bare  ledge  between  the  bon 
fire?. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


PARADISE  VALLEY  AND  PLATEAU  RANCH. 


The  tragic  ending  of  the  catamount  hunt  removed 
all  complications  connected  with  the  arrests  intended  to 
be  made,  but  made  it  more  unlikely  that  the  guilty 
horse  thieves  would  be  discovered  and  captured. 

Bradley  Van  Dusenand  Broncho  Billy  were  delegated 
to  perform  the  disagreeable  duty  of  informing  Helen 
Wisner  and  her  mother  of  the  terrible  fate  of  the  two 
men,  while  the  soldiers  went  to  the  base  of  the  cliff  to 
recover  the  two  bodies. 

Sergeant  Wiley  performed  the  next  morning  a  service 
that  was  sorrowful  enough  in  its  occasion  and  circum 
stance.  The  body  of  Mr.  Frams  was  burried  near  where 
it  fell,  that  of  Mr.  Wisner  in  a  place  selected  by  his 
grief-stricken  family.  That  Mr.  Wisner  was  guiltless  all 
believed  from  the  protestations  of  innocence  pathetically 
given  by  mother  and  daughter  when  the  soldiers  drove 
away  the  stolen  horses. 

Bradley  Van  Dusen  and  Broncho  Billy  remained  to 
render  whatever  aid  they  could  to  the  family  so  suddenly 
deprived  of  a  protector.  In  a  few  days  there  came 


BRADLEY  VAN  DUSEN  GAVE  A  GASP  WHEN  HE  SAW  THE  CARD.        Page  91 


PLATEAU    RANCH  87 


about  a  considerable  change.  The  negro  family  that  had 
kept  the  Frams  ranch  moved  down  into  Paradise  Valley 
and  proceeded  to  build  them  a  house.  Helen  Wisner 
and  her  mother  were  taken  to  the  nearest  railroad  station 
and  placed  on  the  train  for  their  old  home  in  New  York. 
Confidence  had  been  quickly  created  by  the  pleasing 
coincidence  that  this  old  New  York  home  had  been  also 
the  boyhood  home  of  Bradley  Van  Dusen's  father  and 
Mrs.  Wisner  had  known  him  as  a  schoolmate.  The 
possessions  of  Paradise  Valley  and  all  it  contained  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Bradley  Van  Dusen  and  the  former 
owners  went  away  with  more  than  quadruple  the  amount 
they  had  asked  or  expected  to  get  for  the  strange  bowl 
in  which  was  included  nearly  a  thousand  acres  of  the 
good  land  of  Paradise  Valley.  The  money  with  judicious 
care  was  enough  to  keep  them  from  want  for  the  rest  of 
their  lives.  Moreover  the  town  where  the  family  was 
going  had  particular  interest  for  Bradley  Van  Dusen, 
beyond  the  fact  that  it  was  once  the  home  of  his  father 
and  that  it  was  now  to  be  the  home  of  the  Lily  of  the 
Valley.  It  contained  a  denominational  school  that  had 
been  endowed  by  his  father,  he  had  taken  his  first  gradu 
ation  papers  there  and  was  a  frequent  and  welcome 
visitor  at  its  annual  gatherings.  At  the  last  session  he 
had  been  elected  a  trustee  and  he  was  proud  of  the 
honor. 

Paradise  Valley  took  on  a  new  appearance  from  its 
new  masters  and  the  next  year  the  old  Frams  ranch  was 
added  to  accomodate  the  growing  enterprise  of  the  new 
ranchman.  Broncho  Billy  grew  meanwhile  to  be  a 
handsome  frontiersman  with  an  athletic  physique  that 


88  PARADISE    VALLEY. 


would  have  been  considered  impossible  by  any  one  who 
had  seen  Skinny  of  the  slums.  Such  was  his  fidelity  and 
skill  that  he  soon  became  sole  manager  of  the  ranch. 

The  device  used  by  the  Frams  ranch  in  branding  its 
cattle  and  horses  was  that  of  the  figure  ten  followed  by 
a  bar.  This  brand  was  continued  by  Bradley  Van  Dusen 
and  his  ranch  became  known  as  the  Ten  Bar  ranch. 

The  owner  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the  East  and  on 
his  return  always  brought  interesting  news  of  an  inter 
esting  young  lady  who  was  studying  hard  to  become  an 
accomplished  women.  Finally  he  announced  that  the 
first  anniversary  after  her  graduation  day  there  was  to  be 
a  marriage  in  which  Helen  Wisner  and  Bradley  Van 
Dusen  were  to  be  the  principle  figures.  At  the  time 
Bradley  Van  Dusen  imparted  this  bit  of  information  he 
added  another  that  brought  about  still  more  interesting  if 
not  astonishing  developements.  He  took  a  walk  with  the 
manager  of  his  ranch,  who  had  long  since  outgrown  the 
name  of  Broncho  Billy  and  was  chiefly  known  as  Tc  n 
Bar.  This  new  name  was  doubtless  given  him  in  the 
absence  of  a  better  one  and  to  identify  him  with  the 
ranch.  His  reluctance  to  acknowlege  the  name  William 
Brown  added  to  the  necessity  of  his  acquaintances  to 
give  him  a  representative  name,  and  he  liked  to  be  called 
Ten  Bar.  Because  of  his  good  luck  in  rearing  cattle 
and  horses,  and  his  uniform  success  in  all  his  dealings, 
his  neighbors  added  the  name  Luck)'  and  only  a  few 
knew  that  he  had  ever  been  called  anything  but  Lucky 
Ten  Bar. 

The  walk  taken  by  Bradley  Van  Dusen  and  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  brought  them  to  the  cave-house  of  the  Wisner 


PLATEAU  RANCH.  89 


family,  where  the  cow-boy  had  always  kept  a  room  and 
made  it  his  sleeping  place  when  he  remained  over  night 
in  the  valley.  The  two  men  seated  themselves  on  a 
bench  before  the  door. 

"My  friend  Broncho  Billy,  William  Brown,  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  or  whatever  your  name  is,"  said  Bradley  Van 
Dusen  seriously,  "this  ranch  has  quadrupled  in  value  on 
the  investement  under  your  management,  and  we  have 
as  yet  had  no  settlement  as  to  your  reward  for  that. 
Besides  I  have  not  forgotten  that  I  am  under  two  further 
obligations  that  nothing  I  can  do  can  ever  repay.  I 
refer  to  the  facts  that  you  have  not  alone  saved  my  life 
but  you  have  insured  me  happines.  You  saved  my  life 
on  the  terrible  night  of  the  catamount  hunt  and  by 
bringing  me  to  this  valley  you  occasioned  the  conditions 
that  insures  me  a  happy  life."  He  brought  a  document 
from  his  pocket. 

"Here  is  a  clear  deed  to  an  undivided  one  third 
interest  in  the  Ten  Bar  ranch,  including  the  same  inter 
est  in  all  the  money  in  the  ranche's  bank  account." 

"I  can  not  take  such  a  reward,"  replied  Ten  Bar, 
"I  have  not  earned  it." 

"It  is  too  late  now,"  returned  Bradley  Van  Dusen. 
"This  document  has  been  placed  on  legal  record  and  can 
not  be  changed  as  I  will  not  permit  it." 

"You  see,"  continued  Bradley  Van  Dusen,  "I  have 
not  done  this  sooner  because  everything  was  well  in 
hand  and  it  did  not  seem  needful.  But  some  days  ago 
I  was  rummaging  through  my  father's  papers  and  I  came 
across  a  memorandum  which  filled  me  with  regrets  that 
I  determined  to  put  this  off  no  longer.  Once  when  I 


PARADISE    VALLEY. 


was  a  boy  in  New  York  City  I  put  off  rewarding  a  street 
urchin  for  doing  me  a  valuable  service  and  he  has  never 
been  rewarded  while  I  remain  benefited  without  any  re 
turn  to  him.  While  looking  curiously  through  a  package 
of  old  papers  left  by  my  father,  I  found  this  memorandum 
written  by  me  and  laid  on  rny  father's  desk  when  I  was 
about  fifteen  years  old.  It  read:  "Dear  father,  I  was 
passing  an  alley  on  the  East  side  this  morning  when  I 
saw  a  little  boy  crying  back  in  the  alley.  Iwent  to  him 
and  gave  him  some  money  when,  as  I  turned  to  go,  a 
boy  much  larger  than  I  slipped  up  behind  me  and  was 
about  to  strike  me  with  a  billy  when  the  little  boy  I  had 
given  the  money  to,  thrust  a  stick  between  his  knees  and 
running  around  with  it  threw  him  off  his  balance  so  that 
he  missed  me  and  ran  away.  I  ran  after  the  fellow 
yelling  for  the  police.  But  before  I  ran  I  gave  the  little 
boy  your  business  card  and  told  him  to  call  on  you  for 
reward,  which  I  hope  you  will  give  as  he  deserves  some 
thing  good." 

Across  the  memorandum  father  had  written:  "Re 
ward  uncalled  for."  Underneath  were  these  words,  "My 
dear  child,  this  is  not  the  way  to  reward  those  who  do 
you  good." 

That  reminded  me  that  I  had  not  yet  rewarded  you 
for  saving  me  that  night  on  the  peak,  or  for  quadrupling 
the  value  of  my  ranch  or  for  causing  me  to  meet  Helen 
Wisner.  Now  there  is  the  story,  so  I  hope  there  will 
never  be  any  more  unpaid  debts  to  be  added  to  the  one 
that  fills  me  with  keen  regret  standing  against  me  from 
my  boyhood. " 

"Bradley  Van    Dusen    looked  up   at    his    friend    and 


PLATEAU    RANCH.  9! 


found  himself  being  stared  at  as  from  some  one  who  was 
just  awakening  to  almost  forgotten  memories  and  was 
struggling  to  correct  his  returning  impressions. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Bradley  Van  Dusen  with 
considerable  curiosity. 

"I  think  I  know  something  about  the  street  urchin," 
said  Lucky  Ten  Bar  rising  and  going  back  into  the 
house. 

In  a  moment  he  returned  with  a  small  bible  which 
Parson  Brown  had  given  him  and  which  he  had  ever 
since  kept  in  memory  of  the  kind  old  man  who  h^d  be 
friended  him  so  much.  Opening  the  bible  before  Bradley 
Van  Dusen  there  was  displayed  the  larger  half  of  a  busi 
ness  card  containing  only  the  last  three  letters  of  a  name 
but  with  the  full  address  of  the  street. 

Bradley  Van  Dusen  gave  a  gasp  when  he  saw  the 
card  and  read  the  address. 

"It  is  the  address  of  the  place  where  my  father  had 
his  business.  It  is  part  of  one  of  his  business  cards. 
Where  did  you  get  it?" 

"You  gave  it  to  me  in  an  alley  on  the  East  side,  New 
York  several  years  ago, "  was  the  astonishing  answer.  "I 
had  to  take  it  with  my  left  hand  for  Dirty  Dick  had  jerked 
my  right  arm  out  of  place.  You  told  me  to  go  to  your 
father  and  get  my  reward,  but  Sally  dragged  me  before  a 
policeman  and  he  took  me  to  the  hospital.  From  there 
I  was  sent  to  a  children's  home  and  then  taken  West. 
So  I  never  had  a  chance  to  call  for  the  reward.  I  thought 
Sally  was  entitled  to  part  of  the  reward  and  so  I  tore  the 
card  in  two  and  gave  the  other  part  to  her.  I  have  been 
sorry,  very  sorry,  ever  since  I  discovered  that  I  had  given 


92  CHASING    MAVERIKS. 


her  the  smaller  piece.  I  swore  an  oath  to  return  some 
time  to  New  York  and  find  her.  I  suppose  such  an 
attempt  would  be  rediculous  but  I  mean  to  try  just  the 
same." 

Bradley  Van  Dusen  recognized  the  extraordinary 
discovery  that  the  slum  boy  who  had  saved  his  life  in 
New  York  and  again  at  Five  Points  was  before  him.  He 
caught  up  the  document  giving  William  Brown  a  third 
interst  in  Ten  Bar  ranch,  from  the  bench  where  it  lay 
and  returned  it  to  his  pocket. 

I  have  made  a  mistake  in  drawing  up  the  papers," 
he  said.  "They  should  read,  William  Brown  equal 
owner  with  Bradley  Van  Dusen  of  all  the  real  estate, 
stock,  money  and  property  not  otherwise  described, 
which  belong  to  or  is  included  in  the  Ten  Bar  ranch." 


CHAPTER  X. 


CHASING    MAVERICKS. 


When  it  became  known  that  the  young  man  who  had 
been  managing  the  Ten  Bar  ranch  was  made  half  owner 
through  some  of  the  mysterious  ways  of  Providence,  the 
name  Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  fastened  to  him  to  stay.  All 
live  stock  having  been  taken  out  of  Paradise  Valley  and 
quartered  on  the  range  above,  the  peculiar  bowl  became 
a  garden  of  vegetables,  fruit  and  grain.  Ranchmen  and 
settlers  had  rapidly  covered  the  surrounding  available 


'WHAT  is  YOUR  NAME,   SIR?"     HE    ASKED  OF  THE  MAN  ABOUT  TO  BE 

LAUNCHED    INTO    ETERNITY.  See    Page  65 


CHASING    MAVERICKS.  93 

land  and  Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  the  acknowledged  leader. 

Through  the  drastic  scourging  to  which  Sergeant 
Wiley  and  Corporal  Bennet  of  Fort  Robinson  subjected 
those  that  were  found  to  be  in  touch  with  the  horse- 
thieves,  that  industry  which  had  so  long  injured  the 
frontier  settlers  disappeared.  But  '  another  almost  as 
annoying  took  its  place.  A  mild  but  aggravating  form 
of  cattle  thieving  began.  Any  unbranded  calves  straying 
from  the  herd  were  sure  never  to  return.  The  thieves 
became  bolder  and  did  not  confine  their  work  to  the 
mavericks  but  stole  unbranded  cattle  directly  from  the 
herds. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  formed  an  association  embracing  a 
wide  terretory  of  ranches  and  a  few  of  them,  known  to 
be  trustworthy,  adopted  private  marks  for  unbranded 
cattle  and  allowed  them  to  stray  away  and  be  taken.  In 
a  few  months  one  of  the  ranchmen  reported  that  he  had 
discovered  a  cow  bearing  the  double  O  brand  and  also 
carrying  his  private  mark.  This  was  at  a  small  ranch  on 
the  Cheyenne  river.  Another  ranchman  had  immediate 
occasion  to  call  there  with  the  result  that  he  also  found 
the  double  O  brand  on  a  heifer  carrying  his  identifying 
mark.  The  evidence  was  so  strong  that  a  vigillance 
committee  was  organized  by  Lucky  Ten  Bar  to  visit  the 
ranch  for  further  proof  and  to  punish  the  guilty  if  they 
could  be  found  and  proven  to  be  so. 

In  due  time  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  a  companion  rode 
up  to  the  double  O  ranch  and  inquired  for  the  owner. 
The  man  to  whom  the  inquiry  was  addressed  was  mend 
ing  a  saddle  at  the  door  of  a  corral  containing  a  number 
of  calves.  He  looked  at  the  two  men  suspiciously  and 


94  CHASING    MAVERICKS. 


then  replied  that  the  proprietor  had  just  gone  with  one 
of  the  boys  to  take  a  bunch  of  cattle  to  a  valley  on  the 
south  side  of  the  ranch,  but  that  he  would  return  within 
an  hour.  Taking  the  direction  indicated  the  two  men 
rode  away.  Presently  half  a  dozen  ranchmen  rode  up 
to  the  saddle  mender  and  requested  him  to  show  them 
the  nearest  bunch  of  cattle.  His  manner  showed  that 
he  was  much  suspiciously  frightened  at  the  unusual 
manner  of  the  visitors.  However  he  mounted  his  pony 
and  took  them  to  a  small  herd  grazing  in  a  narrow  valley 
just  over  the  nearest  hill.  The  men  examined  the  animals 
carefully. 

"I  have  to  look  after  a  bunch  in  the  next  valley,' 
said  the  cowboy,  "and  I  will  be  back  in  a  few  minutes." 

He  whirled  his  pony  as  he  spoke,  but  stopped  in 
stantly  as  half  a  dozen  carbines  were  leveled  at  him. 

"Halt!"  came  the  ringing  command.  "We  will  go 
over  together  and  look  at  them." 

But  no  others  were  to  be  found  in  the  next  valley, 
and  the  man  was  taken  back  to  the  house  as  a  prisoner. 
Half  a  dozen  ranchmen  came  up  from  another  direction, 
meeting  them. 

"We  have  all  the  evidence  we  want,"  was  the  report. 
"This  is  a  hiding  place  for  mavericks.  What  shall  we  do 
with  these  fellows?  Hang  them  or  shoot  them?" 

"Which  do  you  prefer?"  came  the  blunt  question  to 
the  cowboy. 

"I  didn't  do  none  of  it,"  he  cried.  "I've  just  been  here 
a  week.  But  I  know  some  things  and  will  tell  you  all 
about  it  if  you  will  let  me  go." 

"We  will  have  to  hear  your  story  first   and  be  the 


CHASING     MAVERICKS.  95 

judges  if  it  is  worth  turning  you  loose  on,"  was  the  reply. 
"Out  with  what  you  know." 

The  imperiled  cowboy  needed  no  second  invitation. 
The  Double  O  ranch,"  said  he,  "is  owned  by  a  man 
named  Files.  He  has  four  boys  helping  him  besides 
me.  They  get  their  wages  and  do  as  he  says  without 
asking  any  questions.  Three  of  them  are  gone  to  the 
farmers  east  of  Deadwood  with  cattle  and  the  other  one 
is  with  Files,  as  I  told  you  at  first,  with  a  bunch  on  the 
south  side  of  the  ranch.  One  of  the  boys  told  me  that 
most  of  the  cows  were  mavericks.  The  three  men  that's 
gone  with  the  cattle  done  the  stealin'  with  Files.  He 
commenced  the  business  and  is  the  boss.  " 

As  he  said  this  half  a  dozen  more  ranchmen  rode  up 
with  the  two  men.  A  quick  trial  was  instituted  and  it 
was  soon  settled  that  Files  and  the  three  absent  men 
were  the  guilty  cattle  thieves.  A  lariat  was  procured 
and  he  was  about  to  pay  the  penalty  of  his  crime  by 
hanging,  when  Lucky  Ten  Bar  rode  up. 

He  looked  on  the  proceedings  with  approval,  but 
with  the  first  sight  of  the  man's  face  he  held  up  his  hand 
and  rode  forward. 

Genthemen,"  he  exclaimed,  "will  you  let  me  speak 
to  this  man?" 

"What  is  your  name,  sir,"  he  asked  of  the  man  about 
to  be  launched  into  eternity. 

"Homer  Files,"  was  the  answer. 

"I  thought  so.  I  have  seen  you  before,"  continued 
Lucky  Ten  Bar. 

"Now,  since  you  are  about  to  face  your  Maker,  con 
fession  may  be  good  for  your  soul.  Is  there  anything 


96  CHASING    MAVERICKS. 


you  ought  to  say  about  your  treatment  of  your  fellow- 
man  besides  stealing  his  unbranded  cattle?" 

The  criminal  seemed  to  grasp  at  the  words  as  if  they 
held  forth  some  hope  for  him.  He  thought  that  a  con 
fession  ending  with  a  story  of  his  own  self-sacrifice  and 
heroism  might  do  him  good, 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  "I  once  let  a  man  be  caught  in  a 
caving  well,  but  I  rescued  him  when  all  other  men  had 
deserted  him." 

"Tell  us  all  about  it,"  said   Lucky  Ten  Bar. 

Thus  urged  the  criminal  proceeded  through  every 
detail. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar  when  Homer 
Files  had  concluded,  "he  has  told  the  truth  straight 
through.  You  can  see  that  the  man  is  not  wholly  bad. 
I  think  his  hopeless  love  for  one  of  the  loveliest  women 
of  the  plains  turned  his  head  and  he  has  been  a  kind  of 
outcast  ever  since  his  experience  at  the  well.  If  I  had 
been  older  I  might  have  been  as  addled  for  Minnie 
Tinsley  myself." 

Homer  Files  straightened  up  as  with  an  electric  shock 
at  the  mention  of  the  name. 

"Did  you  know  her?"  he  cried  eagerly. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar  to  his  friends,  "I 
don't  know  that  I  ever  asked  any  of  you  for  a  favor  that 
I  was  so  anxious  for  you  to  grant  as  I  am  for  this  one  I 
am  about  to  ask.  Will  you  turn  this  man  over  to  me 
and  let  me  be  responsible  to  you  that  neither  us  nor  any 
of  our  friends  will  ever  be  troubled  by  him  again?" 

"All  right,  yes,  yes,  give  the  cow-thief  to  Lucky  Ten 
Bar,"  were  the  cries  heard  all  around. 


SHE    THREW    HER    ARMS    AROUND    LUCKY    TEN    BAR'S    NECK.      See  Page  IOO 


THE     RESCUE    OF    PARSON    BROWN.  97 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  rode  up  to  the  man  and  took  the 
lariat  from  his  neck.  He  then  put  a  roll  of  money  in  the 
culprit's  hand. 

"Now,"  said  the  benefactor,  "you  are  mounted  on  a 
good  horse,  you  have  money  enough  to  pay  your  way, 
so  turn  your  nose  west  and  follow  it  till  you  get  to  the 
ocean.  Don't  let  the  sun  set  on  you  twice  within  twenty 
miles  of  the  same  spot  this  side  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains." 

The  delighted  man  tried  to  thank  his  rescuer,  but 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  motioned  him  to  proceed  on  his  journey. 

"Then  just  tell  me  this,"  pleaded  the  man  as  he 
turned  to  ride  away,  "air  you  Skinny?" 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  nodded  his  head,  and  the  strangely 
chastised  cattle  thief  rode  away. 


CHAPTER    XI. 


THE    RESCUE    OF    PARSON    BROWN. 


It  lacked  yet  several  hours  to  night  and  the  ranch 
men  decided  to  confiscate  and  apportion  the  "double  O" 
cattle  among  themselves  according  to  the  mavericks  each 
had  lost.  Therefore  the  different  bunches  of  cattle 
were  rounded  up  and  driven  southward.  A  dozen  men 
rode  forward  to  find  and  prepare  a  camping  place.  In 
due  time  they  found  and  prepared  an  available  spot  for 
the  night.  It  was  growing  dark  and  they  were  gathered 


98  THE    RESCUE    OF    PARSON    BROWN. 

about  a  campfire  awaiting  the  coming  herd  when  they 
were  interrupted  by  the  rattle  of  a  rickety  carriage.  The 
ranchmen  sprang  to  their  feet  eager  to  see  who  the  new 
comers  were,  as  a  raw-boned  horse  drawing  a  buggy 
plodded  into  view  along  the  trail.  Two  elderly  persons, 
a  man  and  a  woman,  of  somewhat  seedy  and  severe  ap 
pearance  were  seated  in  the  buggy,  more  like  automatons 
than  living  beings.  The  horse  stopped  apparently  of  his 
own  accord,  at  the  point  in  the  trail  nearest  the  camp- 
fire  and  the  ranchmen,  who  were  usually  known  by  the 
less  euphoneous  and  elevated  name  of  cowboys,  sur 
rounded  the  buggy,  to  see,  in  the  language  of  the  old 
song,  what  they  could  see. 

"Looks  like  a  preacher,"  said  one,  giving  the  ribs  of 
the  horse  a  punch  that  it  resented  no  more  than  tc  shift 
its  weight  to  the  other  hind  leg. 

"Yes,  sir,  said  the  old  man  in  a  gentle  voice,  "I  am 
a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  this  is  my  good  wife  who 
has  shared  my  work  for  many  years." 

"Ha!  Ha!"  laughed  several.  "He  calls  preachen 
and  prayen  and  marryen  people  worken." 

It  was  a  great  joke  and  they  made  the  valley  ring 
with  their  laughter. 

"Let's  see  you  get  off  some  of  your  work, "  one  of  the 
men  cried,  and  then  there  were  vociferous  shouts  for  '  'a 
preach,  a  preach,  let's  have  a  preach." 

"Singen  before  preachen,"  cried  some  one  better  in 
formed  on  procedure  than  the  others. 

"Give  the  helper  a  chance,"  they  cried.  Let  the 
partner  start  the  work  with  a  song." 

Some  of  the  more  hilarious    emphasised  their  gayety 


THE  RESCUE  OF  PARSON  BROWN.          99 

by  firing  off  their  revolvers.  The  old  horse  with  eyes 
half  closed  stood  on  three  legs  and  wasted  little  thought 
on  the  revolvers,  but  the  old  gentlemen  and  his  com 
panion  were  becoming  pitiably  frightened. 

At  this  moment  the  proceedings  were  interrupted  by 
the  arrival  of  the  herd  of  cattle  and  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
rode  up. 

"Don't  delay  the  work,"  some  one  called  to  him. 
"We  are  going  to  have  a  sing  and  a  preach,  as  soon  as 
these  folks  can  wake  up." 

"Let  the  show  begin,"  cried  three  or  four,  firing  their 
revolvers  threateningly  near  the  buggy. 

The  light  of  the  camp  fire  shone  full  in  the  faces  of 
the  old  people  as  Lucky  Ten  Bar  rode  up  and  took  in 
the  full  situation. 

Then  a  burst  of  furious  anger  occurred  that  no  one 
had  ever  before  seen  in  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  He  sprang 
from  his  horse  and  seizing  two  of  the  revellers  by  the 
collars  flung  them  backward  to  the  ground.  In  a  similar 
manner  he  cleared  the  way  to  the  carriage  in  a  trice. 
Then  he  straightened  up  before  the  wheels  in  defiant  fury. 
His  comrades  stood  back  in  a  group,  too  astonished  to 
be  resentful.  In  a  moment  his  anger  cooled. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  began,  regretfully,  "I  guess  I  owe 
you  an  apology  and  I  beg  your  pardon  for  such  violence, 
but  for  once  my  blood  boiled  all  over  at  once.  You'll 
understand,  I  guess,  when  I  tell  you  that  this  old  couple 
are  the  only  father  and  mother  I  ever  knew,  and  I  would 
fight  any  man  or  men  on  earth  as  long  as  I  drew  breath 
before  I  would  allow  them  to  be  insulted  or  injured." 


IOO  THE    RESCUE    OF    PARSON    BROWN. 


"Laws  me!"  exclaimed  the  old  lady,  wiping  her  eyes 
with  her  apron,  "I  do  believe  it's  William." 

"Praise  God,  it  is  William,"  piously  whispered  the 
old  man. 

"Hurrah  for  Lucky  Ten  Bar,"  some  one  yelled.  "Its 
his  old  man  and  woman." 

"A  chorus  of  whoops  and  yells  followed  with  a 
fusilade  of  revolver  shots  in  celebration  of  the  event. 
The  enthusiastic  friends  of  Lucky  Ten  Bar  took  the 
horse  from  the  shafts  and  drew  the  buggy  near  the  fire. 
The  parson's  wife,  being  the  most  active,  jumped  from 
the  carriage  and  threw  her  arms  around  Lucky  Ten  Bar's 
neck,  sobbing  out  her  gratefulness  for  what  the  Lord  had 
done  for  them.  The  parson  grasped  the  hand  of  his 
adopted  son  with  a  fervor  that  Lucky  Ten  Bar  knew  to 
be  genuine  love. 

Two  antelopes  were  roasting  over  the  fire,  and  after 
a  refreshing  meal  a  polite  request  from  the  ranchmen  for 
the  parson  and  his  wife  to  show  some  of  their  work  was 
heeded  and  the  woods  and  hills  there  heard' for  the  first 
time  in  their  existence  the  voice  of  a  preacher  and  the 
words  of  a  Christian  prayer. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  learned  that  the  parson  and  his  wife 
were  on  their  way  from  Harrison  to  Oelrichs.  The 
parson  had  become  too  old  to  attend  to  the  necessary 
duties  of  a  pastor  in  established  churches  and  so  was  on 
his  way  to  a  place  where  he  supposed  was  an  opening 
for  what  missionary  work  he  could  do.  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
persuaded  him  that  the  Ten  Bar  ranch  and  its  environs 
would  afford  him  all  the  field  he  needed  for  missionary 


PISQUAPITA,    CREE    INDIAN,    CALGARY. 


THE    RESCUE    OF    PARSON    BROWN.  IOI 

work  and  that  a  home  in  Paradise  Valley  was  his  as  long 
as  he  desired  it. 

The  next  day  Paradise  Valley  was  reached  and  the 
home  of  the  Wisners  put  into  good  order  for  its  new  ten 
ants.  There  they  lived  to  the  end  of  their  days,  with  all 
the  comforts  that  a  thoughtful  son  could  procure  or 
money  could  buy. 

Only  one  other  inmate  of  Paradise  Valley  was  distin 
guished  by  unusual  treatment.  That  was  the  circus 
broncho  on  which  the  runaway  boy  had  reached  the  Ten 
Bar  ranch.  The  broncho  ranged  at  will  over  Paradise 
Valley  and  never  knew  either  want  or  labor. 

The  Ten  Bar  ranch  continued  to  be  prosperous  and 
the  work  was  so  systematized  that  it  occupied  little  of 
the  manager's  time.  Feelings  of  curiosity  to  know  what 
the  world  looked  like  began  to  make  him  discontented 
and  he  welcomed  the  opportunity  afforded  by  an  invita 
tion  to  visit  the  Wisners  in  the  little  college  town  where 
Helen  was  to  graduate  in  June.  Bradley  Van  Dusen 
was  to  be  there  and  they  wanted  Lucky  Ten  Bar  to  be 
present.  Arranging  the  affairs  of  the  ranch  so  he  could 
remain  away  as  long  as  he  desired,  he  bade  his  friends 
good-bye  and  took  the  train  at  Harrison  for  Chicago. 

Tucked  away  in  his  grip  was  one  thing  which  he  had 
kept  with  the  tenacity  of  superstition.  It  was  the 
card  which  had  revealed  him  as  the  hero  of  Bradley  Van 
Dusen's  boyhood  adventure  in  an  alley  near  Bellevue 
hospital,  New  York.  Somehow  he  clung  to  it  yet  as  not 
yet  having  fulfilled  its  mission.  He  had  received  his 
reward  but  had  he  not  given  part  of  it  to  Sally  and  he 
had  promised  her  that  she  should  have  half  the  reward? 


IO2  LUCKY    TEN    BAR. 


Indeed  he  had  sworn  to  return  to  New  York  and  find  her 
and  this  memory  impelled  him  in  a  blind  way  to  move 
on  as  if  hi  fulfillment  of  his  vow.  Thirty  or  forty  cow 
boys  and  ranchmen  saw  him  off  at  thestaition,  and  there 
was  such  a  volley  in  parting  salute  that  the  car  windows 
rattled  and  many  of  the  passengers  thought  they  were 
about  to  be  massacred  by  a  band  of  savages  or  outlaws. 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  answered  the  parting  salute  by  emtying 
the  contents  of  his  revolver  through  the  window  and  the 
train  whirled  him  on  to  the  uncertain  environments  of 
civilization,  where  his  energetic  and  chivalrous  nature 
led  him  into  more  luckless  and  thrilling  adventures  than 
he  had  ever  dreamed  of  on  the  great  plains. 


CHAPTER    XII. 


LUCKY    TEN    BAR  IN    CHICAGO. 


The  two  day's  ride  into  Chicogo  was  so  uneventful 
as  to  be  disappointing  and  Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  glad  when 
he  was  emptied  with  the  rest  of  the  passengers  into  the 
great  Union  Station.  He  moved  on  with  the  stream  of 
people  out  into  the  street.  The  hurrying  of  men  and 
women  and  the  cries  of  hackmen  were  bewildering.  He 
had  no  doubt  however  of  his  ability  to  take  care  of  him 
self  and  he  went  with  the  crowd. 


TURNING   HE   BEHELD    A  WOMEN    UNDER   THE   GLARE   OF    THE   ELECTRIC 

LIGHT.  See  Page  103 


IN    CHICAGO.  IO3 


It  was  nearly  midnight  when  he  crossed  the  river, 
after  waiting  half  an  hour  till  two  or  three  great  steam 
ers  passed  through  the  swing  bridges.  Seeing  one  of  the 
great  iron  structures  turn  around  on  a  pivot  and  an  other 
break  in  the  center  and  rise  in  the  air  so  that  the  steamers 
could  pass,  was  his  first  introduction  to  the  ingenuity, 
mechanism  and  power  of  machinery.  He  was  studying 
this  as  he  passed  the  elevated  road  at  Adams  and  Fifth 
Avenue,  when  some  one  hailed  him  with  the  striking 
words.  "Hello,  sweatheart." 

Turning  he  beheld  a  woman  under  the  glare  of  the 
electric  light,  who,  to  his  untutored  mind,  appeared  so 
beautiful  as  to  be  beyond  any  doubt  one  of  the  elegant 
society  ladies  whom  he  had  heard  mentioned  as  gracing 
the  mansions  of  the  great  cities.  She  was  looking 
directly  at  him  and  smiling  sweetly. 

"Pardon  me,"  he  said  in  confusion,  while  summoning 
to  his  aid  instinctively  his  politest  command  of  language, 
"but  you  have  mistaken  me  for  the  other  man.  I  am 
sorry  to  say  that  I  am  new  to  Chicago.  I  am  looking 
now  for  a  hotel." 

She  was  hardly  prepared  for  such  innocence  and  for 
a  moment  it  puzzled  her.  Only  for  a  moment  however. 

"O  I  shall  be  pleased  to  take  you  to  my  hotel,"  she 
answered  pleasantly  taking  his  arm  and  gently  escorting 
him  onward. 

So  this  woman  owned  a  hotel,  he  mused.  That  was 
indeed  fortunate  as  it  saved  him  the  trouble  and  annoy 
ance  of  hunting  one.  She  was  very  kind  indeed.  Doubt 
less  this  was  the  way  of  well-bred  ladies,  to  care  for 
the  comfort  of  strangers.  It  was  a  beautiful  bit  of 


IO4  LUCKY    TEN    BAR. 


kindness  and  he  felt  a  high  respect  for  the  generous  ways 
of  civilization. 

Presently  they  came  to  a  flaring  sign  enclosing  a 
hrilliant  electric  light,  on  which  Lucky  Ten  Bar  read  the 
words,  "Family  entrance. " 

The  new-found  acquaintence  led  the  way  inside  where 
there  was  a  room  rilled  with  tables  and  at  which  a  few 
dilapidated  individuals  both  men  and  women,  sat  as  if 
half  asleep.  The  tinkle  of  glasses  could  be  heard  in  the 
adjoining  room  and  the  smell  that  is  characteristic  of 
bar-rooms  filled  the  place. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  had  inhaled  that  noxious  odor  before 
and  its  presence  here  was  not  reassuring  of  a  .  congenial 
place.  Hardly  were  they  seated  when  a  waiter  appeared 
and  the  woman  gave  an  order,  which  was  quickly  filled. 

"Let  us  drink  each  other's  health,"  she  saids  weetly, 
pouring  out  a  glass  of  the  sparkling  liquid  and  passing  it 
over  to  him. 

"Thank  you,"  he  said  politely,  "but  I  have  very  good 
health  and  besides  I  never  drink." 

•'What!"  she  exclaimed,   "wont  you  drink  for  me?" 

"It's  all  I  can  do  to  drink  for  myself,"  he  replied. 
"I  can't  drink  for  two  and  besides  I  promised  Parson 
Brown  not  to  do  any  of  that  kind  of  drinking  and  I  can't 
break  my  word,  leastwise  not  to  him." 

The  woman  was  disconcerted. 

"Then  you  will  have  some  lemonade  with  me  wont 
you?"  she  managed  to  ask  as  sweetly  as  possible. 

"I  would  be  much  more  oblidged,"  he  replied,  "if 
you  would  show  me  the  dining  room  where  I  can  get 


IN    CHICAGO.  IO5 


something  to  eat.      I  am  as  hungry  as   a   coyote    and  as 
sleepy  as  a  three  day  old  calf  after  feeding  time." 

This  was  the  last  straw.  The  siren  could  no  longer 
contain  her  anger. 

"You  miserable  old  ape!"  she  cried.  "Pay  me  the 
five  dollars  you  owe  me  and  get  out." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  amazed  at  the  sudden  change  in 
his  lady  friend  and  her  preposterous  charge. 

"Why,"    he   stammered,     "I   can  go  out  any  time, 
but  what  do  I  owe  you  five  dollars  for?" 

"Aint  you  going  to  pay  for  this  champagne,"  she 
screamed. 

"Not  till  the  muley  cow  grows  her  horns,"  he  ex 
claimed  picking  up  his  grip  and  starting  out. 

The  woman  pounded  the  table  with  the  glass  and 
two  men  in  white  aprons  came  in  from  a  side  door, 
intercepting  him. 

"What's  the  matter?"  they  asked  as  if  trying  to 
smoothe  over  a  quarrel  in  a  friendly  way. 

"He  wont  pay  for  the  wine  he  bought,"  she  cried. 

"Better  pay  the  lady  for  her  wine,"  said  one,  "and 
save  yourself  heaps  of  trouble." 

"I  haven't  bought  any  wine,"  cried  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
exasperated  at  such  a  swindle,  "I  don't  drink  wine  and  I 
wont  pay  for  any  wine,  so  get  out  of  the  door  and  let  me 
past." 

Both  men  stood  barring  the  way. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  waited  a  moment,  then  quickly 
seizing  the  larger  of  the  bar-tenders  by  the  arm  he  jerked 
the  man  across  the  room  with  such  force  that  the  fellow 
dropped  like  a  bundle  of  rags  across  a  chair,  while  the 


106  LUCKY    TEN    BAR. 


accused  debtor  cought  the  other  around  the  neck,  as  he 
started  to  run,  lifted  him  from  the  floor  and  carried  him 
unmolested  out  of  the  door.  The  captive  began  to  call 
at  the  top  of  his  voice  for  the  police  but  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
kept  on  his  way,  followed  by  a  fast  increasing  crowd  of 
curious  spectators. 

At  the  second  street  crossing  a  policeman  came  up. 

"What's  this?"  he  asked  stopping  the  captor  with  a 
punch  of  his  stick. 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  Lucky  Ten  Bar. 

"An  officer  of  the  law  as  you  see,"  said  the  police 
man  guessing  that  he  had  to  deal  with  an  unusually  un 
sophisticated  Westerner. 

"O,  all  right,"  replied  Lucky  Tan  Bar,  "I  always 
obey  the  law." 

Meanwhile  the  bar-keeper  had  been  attemting  to  get 
away  but  was  held  fast  by  his  captor. 

"I  was  just  taking  this  skunk  to  give  him  a  bath  in 
the  river.  A  woman  took  me  to  a  hotel  where  they 
tried  to  swindle  me  by  making  me  pay  five  dollars  for  a 
bottle  of  wine  that  I  never  ordered.  This  fellow  and 
another  tried  to  help  her  collect  the  bill  and  I  was  in  for 
making  them  sorry  for  it." 

"Sure  they  didn't  get  away  with  any  of  your  valu 
ables?"  asked  the  officer. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  felt  for  his  pocket  book.  It  was 
safe  but  his  watch  was  gone.  The  officer  took  the  two 
men  back  to  the  bar-room  but  the  guilty  persons  had 
fled. 

"Guess  I'd  better  take  you  two  fellows  to  the  station." 
said  the  officer  and  that  night  Luckv  Ten  Bar  found  his 


•HERE"    HE   SAID,    TOUCHING    HER    ON    THE    BEAR    SHOULDER    WITH  THE 

COLD  MUZZLE  OF     HIS  SIX  SHOOTER,    "SHELL  OUT  YOUR  STOLEN     GOODS. 

See  Page  119 


IN    CHICAGO.  IO/ 


first  night's  lodging  in  Chicago  in  a  Harrison  street 
police  cell.  The  next  morning  he  was  brought  before  the 
police  judge  but  did  not  obtain  his  release  until  late  in 
the  afternoon.  As  a  result  of  this  experience  he  waked 
to  the  fact  that  the  city  is  not  as  simple  as  the  prairie, 
and  that  the  women  are  not  all  as  timid  and  guileless  as 
he  antelope  or  as  gentle  as  the  stall-fed  cow. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 


Lucky  Ten  Bar  could  ask  as  many  questions  as 
any  yankee  and  was  fully  as  wide  awake.  Experience 
was  a  quick  teacher  and  he  never  got  into  the  same 
trouble  twice.  Within  an  hour  of  his  release  from  the 
police  station  he  was  comfortably  lodged  in  a  respectable 
hotel  suitable  to  his  wants.  After  a  good  dinner,  an  in 
vigorating  bath  and  a  change  of  travelling  clothes,  he 
felt  that  he  was  once  more  himself.  With  some  instincts 
of  taste  he  had  dressed  himself  so  that  few  persons  would 
stop  to  take  a  second  look  at  him  because  of  any  special 
western  air  about  him.  However  the  freedom  and  un- 
couventionality  of  the  plains  was  ineradicably  in  him. 

It  was  long  after  dark  when  he  got  through  his  toilet 
at  the  hotel  and  went  out  on  the  streets  for  further  sight- 


IO8  A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 

seeing.  He  had  just  turned  into  Congress  street  from 
Michigan  Avenue  and  was  regarding  with  wonder  the 
two  great  buildings  of  stone  on  each  side,  and  speculating 
on  what  could  be  their  use,  when  a  lady  accosted  him 
with  the  question,  "Please  sir,  would  you  kindly  tell  me 
which  side  is  the  lady's  entrance  to  the  Auditorium 
hotel?" 

But  meanwhile  Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  drawing  away. 

"Sorry  lady,"  he  said  turning  to  retreat  as  if  she 
were  a  pestilence  "but  I'm  fixed  in  a  hotel  already  and 
so  I'm  much  oblidged.  I've  got  nothing  against  the 
hotel  I'm  in  and  can't  in  any  decency  make  a  change  to 
yours." 

He  didn't  stop  to  hear  the  astonished  woman's  reply 
but  hurried  on  to  a  place  where  he  saw  a  stream  of 
people  pouring  into  the  building.  He  stood  with  open- 
mouthed  wonder  as  he  saw  the  elegantly  dressed  ladies 
alight  from  their  handsome  carriages  and  go  inside. 

"What's  the  show?"  he  ventured  to  ask  a  man  stand 
ing  near. 

"Grand  opera,"  was  the  reply. 

"Can  you  buy  your  way  in  for  a  reasonable  sum?"  he 
asked. 

"Sure,"  was  the  reply.  "You  can  stand  up  to  it  for 
a  dollar,  get  a  sitter  among  tbe  bald  heads  for  three  and 
a  half,  or  buy  a  chair  in  a  box  for  a  'V" 

"Then  I'll  get  into  the  procession,  he  replied,  "and 
buy  a  stand-up  for  a  dollar.  I'm  no  bald  head  and  I've 
got  no  use  for  a  chair  in  a  box." 

"Want  to  go  'long?"  he  asked    his   new-found  friend. 

"I  ain't  got  the  stuff,"  he  replied. 


A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 


"Well,  I  guess  I've  still  got  an  extra  dollar,  "  returned 
Lucky  Ten  Bar,  "don't  be  backward  on  that  account." 

The  friend  was  not  backward  after  that.  They  went 
in  together  and  stood  up  at  the  back  of  the  seats  at  the 
edge  of  the  foyer.  The  orchestra  had  just  got  down  to 
business  as  they  came  up.  Lucky  Ten  Bar  looked  curi 
ously  over  the  heads  of  the  people  to  see  what  was  mak 
ing  such  a  racket.  It  reminded  him  of  the  salute  of  his 
friends  as  he  left  the  station  at  Harrison,  with  a  full-sized 
Dakota  blizzard  thrown  in.  Then  the  curtain  arose  and 
he  gasped  for  breath.  Of  course  the  fairy-land  that  he 
saw  was  not  real,  but  the  detail  and  depth  of  the  stage 
scene  was  overwhelming. 

"I  can't  catch  the  hang  of  the  thing,"  he  said  to  his 
better  informed  companion.  "What's  the  hunchback 
doing  in  his  fool  togs  among  the  gay  ducks  shining  around 
the  boss?" 

The  curtain  rung  down  on  the  first  act  and  the  newly- 
found  city  friend  led  his  unsophisticated  acquaintance  of 
the  plains  to  a  seat  in  the  foyer  for  a  rest  during  the 
interval. 

"I'll  tell  you  the  story,"  said  the  young  man.  "The 
hunchback's  name  is  Rigoletto.  He's  a  kind  of  circus 
clown  to  the  Duke.  Besides,  he  helps  the  Duke  to  all 
kinds  of  mischief  among  the  women  and  the  devil  is 
generally  to  pay  among  the  husbands.  At  last  Rigoletto 
gets  a  return  clip.  He  has  a  daughter  who  is  very  beau 
tiful  and  he  stakes  all  his  pile  on  her.  He  keeps  her  hid 
just  like  a  man  can  hide  a  house  afire.  The  Duke  claps 
his  eye  on  her  and  goes  it  blind.  Representing  himself 
to  be  a  poor,  love-struck  student,  he  gets  a  lead-pipe 


HO  A  VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 


cinch  on  her  heart.  Some  of  the  Duke's  hangers-on  see 
the  lovely  girl  in  Rigoletto's  house  and  decide  to  have 
some  sport  and  revenge  by  kidnapping  her.  They  don't 
know  that  the  hunchback  is  her  old  man,  but  suppose 
that  he  is  her  sweetheart.  So  they  make  it  worse  by 
getting  him  to  help  in  the  scheme  of  kidnapping  her  by 
telling  him  that  they  are  for  getting  away  with  the  wife 
of  one  of  the  hunchback's  enemies  whose  house  is  next 
to  Rigoletto's.  He  is  a  sure-enough  fool  this  time  and 
discovers  too  late  that  he  has  helped  the  Duke  take  in 
the  beautiful  daughter  he  has  been  keeping  so  pious  and 
secluded.  It  knocks  him  all  in  a  heap  till  he  gets  onto 
Sparafucile,  a  professional  pig-sricker  for  so  much  a  job. 
Sparafucile  agrees  to  knife  the  Duke  in  a  lonely  old  de 
serted  saloon  by  the  sea,  during  a  thunderstorm,  to  the 
sound  of  slow  music.  But  Sparafucile's  sister  Madelene 
has  a  few  drinks  with  the  Duke  and  thinks  he  is  too  nice 
to  kill.  But  Sparafucile  is  a  square  man  and  won't 
break  his  word  to  the  hunchback  unless  he  can  do  it 
honorably.  He  sees  a  way  out  so  he  says,  "I'll  spare 
the  Duke  if  you  can  get  me  a  substitute." 

The  hunchback's  daughter  was  snaken  it  around  in 
the  woods  in  boy's  ready-made  clothing  and  she  hears 
the  scheme. 

"I'll  be  the  substitute,"  she  said  to  herself  in  jealous 
rage.  "I  won't  let  a  hussey  like  that  Madelene  beat  me 
in  doing  nice  things  for  the  Duke.  I  will  go  her  one 
better.  I  will  be  the  substitute." 

Saying  that  she  walks  into  the  house  like  a  stranger 
escaping  from  the  slow  music  and  the  thunderstorm  of 
a  bad,  black  night  in  the  woods  by  the  murmuring  sea. 


PlKE'S    PEAK    RAILWAY,    COLORADO. 


BURRO    AND    LOAD,    COLORADO. 


A  VISIT    TO    THE    GCAND    OPERA.  I  I  I 

The  door  closes  after  her  a  minute  and  then  she  comes 
out  on  Sparafucile's  shoulder  in  a  sack.  It's  a  dead  easy 
guess  that  she  has  been  substituted  and  made  a  point 
over  Madelene  in  the  score  on  the  Duke's  feelings.  The 
old  man  is  snooping  aroud  in  the  woods  waiting  for  the 
cue  to  come  and  pay  the  balance  due  on  the  job.  The 
clock  strikes  midnight  and  the  thunder  lets  up  a  little. 
That's  the  cue,  so  the  old  man  comes  and  pays  up  and 
takes  the  body,  still  breathing  through  a  slit  in  the  sack. 
He  lays  the  load  down  on  the  ground  and  paws  around 
over  it  for  a  chance  to  work  up  the  sympathy  of  the 
audience.  Here's  the  place  for  you  to  gaze  on  the  salty 
tears  of  society  as  it  weeps  in  the  twenty-five  and  fifty 
dollar  boxes  over  the  terrible  fate  of  the  nice  Duke. 
Then  you  ought  to  see  them  dry  their  eyes  on  their 
twenty-five  dollar  handkerchiefs  when  they  see  the  nice 
Duke  walking  along  the  sad  sea  shore  in  the  background, 
singing  a  repining  love  song.  Rigoletto  now  catches 
on  to  the  substitute  and  he  nearly  has  a  fit.  The  daugh 
ter  in  the  sack  and  her  old  man  then  sing  a  swan  song 
together,  the  girl  croaks,  and  the  old  man  tears  his  hair 
as  the  curtain  sashays  up  and  down  a  few  tinies.  That's 
the  sign  that  you  have  your  money's  worth  and  have  got 
to  git  out  or  go  to  the  lock-up." 

At  this  moment  the  curtain  went  up  and  the  two  men 
rushed  back  to  their  stand  by  one  of  pillars,  just  back  of 
the  seats.  Lucky  Ten  Bar  soon  discovered  that  the  rea 
son  he  could  not  understand  a  word  of  any  of  the  singers 
was  because  their  singing  was  in  a  foreign  language. 
However,  by  the  aid  of  a  libretto  or  book  of  the  play 
which  his  companion  had  somehow  managed  to  secure 


112  A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 

without  money,  he  could  follow  the  English  translation 
with  tolerable  accuracy.  The  story  as  told  to  him  by 
his  companion  had  considerably  disinthralled  him  from 
the  glamour  and  fancy  of  the  scene  before  him.  During 
the  interval  between  the  second  and  third  act  he  gave 
himself  up  to  the  study  of  the  first  real  so-called  society 
that  he  had  ever  seen.  The  glistening  and  costly 
apparelled  occupants  of  long  tiers  of  boxes  seemed  much 
more  intent  on  the  charms  of  one  another  than  on  the 
music  or  tragedy  of  the  licentious  and  blood-thursty 
scenes  of  Verdi's  great  opera.  However  there  were 
others  who  evidently  considered  the  occupants  of  the 
boxes  to  be' as  importent  as  they  were  exclusive.  They 
were  separated  from  ordinary  mortals  by  iron  gates  care 
fully  and  even  fanatically  guarded  by  liveried  young  men 
who  seemed  to  feel  an  extraordinary  responsibility  and 
importance  attached  to  their  guardianship.  These  re 
markable  people  were  set  apart  from  common  mortals 
as  in  a  cage  and  had  a  private  entrance  so  they  would 
not  be  under  the  necessity  of  mingling  with  the  vulgar 
throng.  Reporters  were  hurrying  to  and  fro  taking  names 
and  costumes  for  their  respective  newspapers  showing 
that  the  dress  of  these  people  was  an  important  matter 
of  interest  to  the  readers  of  the  city's  great  dailies. 

Whatever  conclusions  Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  reaching 
about  society  on  the  first  night  of  an  opera  season,  his 
ideas  were  quickly  scattered  by  the  rise  of  the  curtain  on 
the  last  act.  He  watched  it  through  to  its  blood-curdling 
conclusion.  Innocence  perished  miserably  and  the  guilty 
went  free. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  observed    intently  the   applause  that 


A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA.  113 

caused  the  curtain  to  seesaw  up  and  down.  He  saw  the 
woman  get  out  of  the  sack  and  bow  to  the  cheering 
audience  hand  in  hand  with  the  hunchback  and  the  duke. 
It  was  puzzling  and  he  did  not  awake  from  his  trance  of 
thought  until  his  companion  caught  him  by  the  arm  and 
said:  "Don't  you  see  it  is  time  to  git?  The  curtain  is  a 
sashaying  and  that  is  the  signal  to  go.  No  fooling  after 
they  have  got  your  money.  Stay  another  hour  after 
they  have  quit  and  these  usher  boys  will  have  orders  to 
fling  you  out  into  the  cold.  If  you  resist  you  are  good 
for  a  night  in  the  lockup." 

During  this  harangue  Lucky  Ten  Bar's  companion 
hurried  him  on  to  the  outside. 

"Say  partner,"  he  said.  "Let's  introduce  ourselves. 
I'm  Tony  Pratt  who  are  you?" 

"Call  me  Ten  Bar,"  was  the  reply  of  the  young 
Westerner  not  yet  out  of  the  dreamy  haze  and  spell  of 
the  opera.  "Say,"  he  continued  as  if  just  awakening. 
"That's  the  craziest  thing  in  there  I  ever  saw  or  heard 
of.  Do  people  sing  at  each  other  when  they  are 
committing  murder?  No!  Do  people  carry  out  a  kid 
napping  act  in  a  song?  No!  I  suppose  I  am  expected  to 
go  back  to  the  Ten  Bar  ranch  and  sing  a  song  at  the 
coyote  before  I  shoot  him.  May  be  I  can  stop  a  stamp 
ede  of  steers  by  singing  the  duke's  love  song  at  them.  I 
suppose  I'll  have  to  sing  a  soothing-syrup  song  to  the 
calves  as  I  stick  the  hot  branding  iron  on  their  hides. 
Well,  I  guess  not!  Out  on  the  plains  we  take  our  acting 
and  singing  straight  as  we  do  our  drinks." 

Lucky  Ten    Bar    now    became    conscious    that    his 


IT4  A    VISIT    TO   THE    GRAND    OPERA. 


companion  had  him  by  the  arm  and  was  hurrying  him 
along  rather  rapidly. 

"Say,  Tony,"  he  asked  rather  quisically,  "Aint  you 
taking  me  somewhere  that  I've  not  asked  to  go?" 

"Well,  yes,"  was  the  reply.  "But  I  want  you  to  go 
down  to  a  friend  and  take  a  drink  with  me." 

"No  use,"  replied  Lucky  Ten  Bar.    "I  don't  drink." 

"But  I  want  you  to  meet  with  some  new  friends," 
persisted  Tony  Pratt. 

"No  use,"  repeated  Lucky  Ten  Bar,  "I've  got  all  the 
friends  I  can  do  justice  to.  " 

"But  I  want  you  to  see  some  fun,"  continued  the 
irrepressible  Tony  Pratt  as  he  hurried  the  half  rebellious 
Westrner  along. 

Fun!"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  "Why  you  can't 
show  me  more  fun  than  I've  run  into  myself  without  any 
showing.  I've  had  fun  to  burn  during  the  last  twenty 
four  hours." 

"Well,  here  we  are,"  replied  his  companion,  so  come 
in  a  bit  anyway." 

Tony  Pratt  opened  a  door  into  a  hallway  where  a 
negro  boy  sat  at  a  little  table.  After  a  ie\v  words  the 
boy  pressed  an  electric  button  and  after  a  return  signal 
Tony  Pratt  led  his  companion  down  a  flight  of  stairs  into 
a  dimly  lighted  corridor  where  he  could  hear  the  rumble 
of  balls  in  a  bowling  alley  at  one  side  and  could  see 
through  a  glass  door  across  which  was  a  bar  into  a  saloon 
in  which  several  women  were  sitting  around  tables 
drinking  with  men. 

A  man  was  sitting  on  a  stool  near  the  glass  door  and 
he  motioned  them  to  pass  on.  Tony  Pratt  opened  a 


A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA.  115 

door  on  the  left  and  invited  his  companion  to  enter.  Two 
men  sat  at  a  table  playing  cards. 

"Hello,  Tony,"  said  one  whose  huge  soltaires  on  his 
shirt  front  and  in  the  heavy  yellow  band  on  his  finger 
proclaimed  him  to  be  in  the  front  rank  of  professionals, 
"will  you  and  your  friend  join  us  in  a  little  friendly 
game?" 

"J  don'  play,"  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar,  with  a  quiet  de 
cision  of  voice  that  never  seemed  to  admit  of  any  parley 
over  the  matter,  "I  promised  the  parson  that  I  wouldn't 
and  so  I  don't." 

"Then  you  boys  can  have  the  room,"  said  the  soltaire 
man  arising  with  his  companion  and  taking  his  de 
parture. 

"Take  a  seat,"  said  Tony  Pratt.  "I'll  go  out  to  the 
bar  and  send  you  someting  interesting." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  noticed  that  about  five  feet  from  the 
floor  there  was  a  window-pane  in  the  partition  between 
his  room  and  the  adjoining  one.  He  could  hear  a 
woman's  voice  persuading  some  one  to  take  another 
drink  with  her.  He  stepped  to  the  pane  of  glass  and 
found  that  it  was  set  in  a  frame  which  was  on  hinges  and 
he  cautiously  pushed  it  open.  He  saw  a  bedizened 
creature  holding  a  glas  of  wine  to  the  lips  of  a  half 
stupified  man  whose  face  was  strangely  familiar.  Just 
then  he  heard  a  step  in  the  corridor  and  he  resumed  his 
seat. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  had  been  learning  rapidly  in  the  last 
twenty  tour  hours  and  he  concluded  this  time  to  be  both 
circumspect  and  diplomatic. 

A    woman  entered,  bowed   to   him  with  a  smirk  that 


Il6  A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 


was  meant  to  be  a  smile,  and  placed  two  bottles  of  beer 
on  the  table.  She  seated  herself  near  him. 

"How  much  is  the  beer  to  cost  me?"  he  asked. 

"Only  fifty  cents  a  bottle,"  she  replied  somewhat 
plaintively. 

"All  right,"  he  answered.  "Here  is  a  dollar  for  the 
beer  which  you  may  keep  and  here  is  another  dollar  for 
yourself." 

She  beamed  her  delight  upon  him  somewhat  uncertain 
how  to  act  under  sush  generousity. 

"By  the  way,"  he  said.  "The  girl  in  the  next  room 
is  striking  it  rich,  aint  she?" 

"Striking  it  rich,  do  you  say,"  cried  the  woman  in  a 
burst  of  envy.  "I  should  smile  she  is.  I  never  saw 
such  luck.  Last  night  she  got  fifty  dollars  out  of  a 
country  kid,  and  now  she  has  already  got  nearly  two 
hundred  dollars  out  of  that  old  fool  of  a  cattle  man." 

"I  never  saw  such  luck,"  she  repeated  with  a  string  of 
oaths  as  if  beside  herself  with  envy,  "and  the  end  of  his 
pile  aint  in  sight." 

"I  want  to  see  a  little  fun,"  replied  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
"and  I  would  like  for  you  to  take  this,  taking  out  a  five 
dollar  bill,  and  make  the  way  clear  for  me,  by  keeping 
between  me  and  the  man  on  the  stool  at  the  door  for 
one  half  minute  until  I  can  have  time  to  get  into  the 
other  room.  Then  you  go  on  out  and  don't  come  back." 

The  woman  grasped  the  five  dollar  bill  laid  on  the 
table  and  went  out  of  the  room.  She  walked  up  to  the 
man  at  the  door  and  began  talking  to  him  meanwhile 
covering  the  actions  of  Lucky  Ten  Bar  from  view. 

Lucky   Ten    Bar    made   good  use  of  the  opportunity. 


A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 


He  stepped  out  of  his  room,  opened  the  door  of  the  ad 
joining  room,  stepped  inside  and  closed  the  door. 

"Pardon  me,"  he  said  politely,  "I  must  have  got 
into  the  wrong  pew." 

"Guess  you  did,"  cried  the  woman  angrily,  "so  get 
out  quicker  than  you  got  in  or  I'll  make  it  mighty  hot 
for  you." 

She  made  a  move  toward  the  door. 

"Sit  down  in  the  corner  there,"  he  commanded 
suddenly  pressing  the  cold  muzzle  of  a  six  shooter  against 
her  temple  "and  don't  move  or  make  a  sound  untill  I 
tell  you." 

The  woman  collapsed  as  if  the  six  shots  had  gone 
through  her. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  took  the  maudlin  wretch  of  a  man  by 
the  collar  and  shook  him  till  his  bones  seemed  to  rattle. 

"Good  Lord,  what'er  you  doing  to  me"  he  waked 
up  enough  to  ejaculate. 

Then  lucky  Ten  Bar  lifted  him  from  the  chair  and 
shook  him  again  till  his  teeth  rattled  and  his  heels 
knocked  together. 

"I  am  trying  to  shake  into  working  shape  some  of 
your  scattered  philosophy,  "  he  replied. 

Then  he  shook  the  old  man  again  till  he  could  stand 
up  and  walk  straight  across  the  floor. 

"In  the  name  of  Zeno,  Diodorus  Chronus,  Diogones, 
Aristole,  and  all  the  saints,  who  are  you?"  cried  the  now 
thoroughly  aroused  cattleman. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  set  him  down  with  a  sudded  jerk 
into  the  chair  with  a  force  that  smashed  that  bit  of 
furniture  into  smitherines  and  left  the  convivial  gentle- 


Il8  A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 

man  sprawling  on  the  floor  by  the  side  of  the  terror- 
stricken  wench.  He  got  to  his  feet  like  a  sober  man 
and  backed  into  a  corner  with  his  hands  extended  before 
him  in  depreciation  of  playing  the  rat  any  longer  to 
such  an  annimated  bull-terrier. 

"There  now,"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar,  "are  you 
still  of  the  opinion  with  Diodorus  Chronus  that  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  motion?  Perhaps  you  think  it  is  easier 
to  get  rid  of  your  horns  than  of  your  jag.  May  be  you 
would  like  to  prove  to  me  that  two  men  are  not  here  and 
we  are  it.  Are  you  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  a  sunshiny 
day  because  there  is  a  thunder  storm?" 

The  ranchman  stood  in  the  corner  looking  at  the 
animated  speaker  much  as  an  overgrown  bull  pup  looks 
when  expecting  another  dash  from  the  overwhelming  play 
fulness  of  his  corpulent  canine  uncle.  As  Lucky  Ten 
Bar  mentioned  the  last  of  the  Western  philosopher's 
favorite  dilemmas,  a  sudden  light  seemed  to  dawn  on  him. 

'  'Say, "  said  he  '  'dew  tell  me,  air  you  Skinny  of  Chad- 
ron  on  your  way  to  to  Deadwood  by  way  of  Hiram 
Tinsley's  ranch?" 

"Guess  I  am,"  he  replied  "and  don't  you  take  it  as 
mighty  lucky  for  you  that  I  got  here  in  time  to  shake 
your  brains  into  working  order?  Another  hour  or  two 
and  you  would  have  to  telegraph  C.  O.  D.  to  Phil  Morris 
to  send  you  a  railroad  ticket  to  get  home  on." 

The  ranchman  slapped  his  hands  on  his  pocket  and 
then  drew  out  a  roll  of  bills.  He  counted  them. 

"Gosh!"  he  axclaimed,  "1  am  a  hundred  and  ninety 
dollars  short!" 

A  friend  brought  me  here  at  ten  o'clock  to  meet  some 


A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA.  I  19 


of  his  society  friends.  Of  course  I  had  to  be  friendly 
and  fashionable  with  the  ladies.  I  wonder  where  he  has 
gone.  I  guess  I'd  better  hunt  him  up  and  get  him  to  see 
about  the  missing  money.  Some  mistake  has  been 
made  in  changing  the  big  bills. " 

Hiram  Tinsley  started  for  the  door,  but  Lucky  Ten 
Bar  stopped  him. 

"No  you  wait.  I'll  tend  to  that.  You've  struck  the 
civilized  way  of  being  robbed.  It's  slower  than  a  hold 
up  but  generally  safer.  I  got  into  it  but  I  got  out.  So 
let's  begin  to  get  out.  First,  the  woman." 

"Here,"  he  said  touching  her  on  the  bare  shoulder 
with  the  cold  muzzle  of  his  six-shooter  so  that  she  shook 
as  if  she  had  a  sudden  attack  of  the  ague,  "shell  out 
your  stolen  goods. " 

She  produced  a  roll  of  bills  from  the  folds  of  her 
abbreviated  skirts. 

"It's  all  I've  got,"  she  said  collapsing  into  a  heap  in 
the  corner  from  the  terrible  blow  to  her  fortunes.  "It's 
rny  half.  Dimond  Jack  has  the  rest." 

The  old  man  counted  the  bills. 

"Just  ninety-five  dollars,"  he  announced.  "Exactly 
half  of  my  absentees." 

"All  right,"  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  "Now  as  we  are 
honest  people  we  must  settle  square." 

'•What  have  you  been  drinking  all  the  time?"  he 
asked. 

"Beer,  nothing  but  bottle  beer." 

"Are  these  the  bottles?"  indicating  with  a  thump  of 
his  fist  a  pile  of  half-filled  bottles  on  the  little  table  in 
the  corner. 


120  A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 


"Yes." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  counted  them. 

"Good!"  he  exclaimed.  "Just  nineteen  bottles.  Now 
we  can  arrive  at  the  bill.  Pretty  steep  old  man,  ten 
dollars  a  bottle." 

"Let  me  see  he  continued.  "Beer  is  worth  about 
fifteen  cents  a  bottle  when  you  leave  the  bottles.  Now 
we  will  leave  the  bottles,  so  that  would  make  your  bill 
two  dollars  and  eighty-five  cents.  According  to  the 
lady's  testemony  she  gets  an  equal  amount  for  waiting 
on  you.  That  would  raise  your  legitimate  expenses  here 
to  five  dollars  and  seventy  cents." 

"Here  lady,"  he  continued  counting  out  to  the 
woman  her  share  to  the  amount  of  two  dollars  and 
eighty-five  cents.  "Now  we  will  go  out  and  settle  like 
wise  with  Dimond  Jack." 

"Now,  lady,"  he  admonished  tapping  her  gently  again 
on  the  bare  shoulder  with  the  cold  steel,  "don't  you  stir 
till  you  are  sure  we  have  vamoosed  this  ranch-" 

From  the  looks  of  the  lady  it  did  not  appear  that 
there  was  any  probability  of  her  making  any  attempt  to 
stir. 

The  keeper  of  the  barred  door  appeared  to  be  much 
perplexed  when  he  saw  the  two  men  issue  together  from 
the  end  room.  He  arose  as  they  approached  and  laid  his 
hand  on  the  bar  across  the  door. 

"We  are  hunting  the  exit,"  explained  Lucky  Ten 
Bar. 

"Not  on  your  tintype,"  replied  the  watch  dog  of  the 
dive.  "Yer  don't  git  dis  way  till  I  knows  yer  square  wid 
de  house." 


A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA.  121 

"That's  what  we  are  hunting  the  exit  for,"  explained 
Lucky  Ten  Bar.  "We  are  honorable  men  and  we  want 
to  get  square  with  the  house." 

The  door-keeper  raised  his  hand  to  rap  a  signal  on 
the  glass  when  something  took  him  under  the  ear  with 
such  sudden  force  as  to  pile  him  backward  in  a  heap  on 
the  floor  like  a  saw-dust  dummy. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  opened  the  door  and  the  two  men 
passed  into  the  saloon.  He  took  the  situation  in  at  a 
glance.  It  was  now  past  midnight  and  the  score  of  men 
and  women  drinking  at  the  tables  were  in  too  maudlin 
and  stupified  a  condition  to  take  much  interest  in  what 
was  going  on  around  them.  The  diamond-bedecked 
gentleman  who  had  invited  Lucky  Ten  Bar  to  a  little 
game  an  hour  previous,  was  standing  just  back  of  the 
bar  at  the  front  end,  complacently  contemplating  the 
occupants  of  his  den.  His  bar-tender  was  leaning  over 
the  rear  end  of  the  bar  chatting  with  some  woozy 
customers. 

The  proprietor  looked  a  little  startled  as  the  two  men 
approached. 

"Are  you  known  as  Diamond  Jack?"  asked  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  leaning  familiarly  over  the  end  of  the  bar. 

"Yes,"  was  the  gruff  reply.  "What  do  you  duffers 
want?" 

"We  want  to  settle  our  bill,"  replied  Lucky  Ten  Bar, 
"but  you  mustn't  move  tongue  or  finger  exept  as  I  tell 
you  if  you  don't  want  a  hole  through  your  rib-thumper. 
Cast  your  gaze  under  the  corner  of  the  bar  and  observe 
something  looking  just  to  the  left  of  your  third  vest 
button." 


122  A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA. 


Diamond  Jack's  nose  did  not  move  a  hair's  breadth 
but  his  eyes  were  rivited  as  if  tascinated  on  a  blue  hole 
peeping  from  the  under  edge  of  the  corner  of  the  bar. 

'•There  has  been  a  mistake  in  making  change  for  my 
friend  here  to  the  amount  of  ninety-two  dollars  and 
fifteen  cents.  The  woman  has  refunded  her  share  and 
we  know  that  you  are  no  less  a  gentleman  than  she. 
Nineteen  bottles  of  beer  at  fifteen  cents  each  makes  two 
dollars  and  eighty-five  cents.  That  sum  taken  out  of 
ninety-five  leaves  the  ninety-two  fifteen.  So  be  so  kind 
as  to  count  it  out  to  this  gentleman.  Don't  be  too  rapid 
but  it  is  also  very  advisable  not  to  be  too  slow.  It  wont 
be  healthy  to  disturb  the  dreams  of  your  customers." 
"There  now  you  needn't  go  to  the  cash  drawer"  continued 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  as  the  man  cast  a  look  that  way.  "You 
have  it  in  your  pocket.  Don't  make  any  moves  but  what 
I  know  to  be  necessary  in  the  process.  I  am  a  very 
suspicious  man  and  the  gun  is  liable  to  bore  a  hole 
through  the  first  suspicion." 

"There  that  is  a  good  fellow,"  he  added  as  the 
proprietor  counted  out  the  money  and  the  ranchman  put 
it  in  his  pocket,  "I  knew  you  would  be  glad  to  make 
good  any  mistakes.  We  will  bid  you  good-bye  now. 
But  don't  loose  sight  of  the  fact  that  if  you  make  an  un 
friendly  move  before  we  are  out  of  range,  you  will  be  an 
immediate  candidate  for  a  shroud." 

•  Lucky  Ten  Bar  put  his  argument-settler  back  into 
his  packet  and  threw  a  bit  of  silver  on  the  bar. 

"Let  us  for  acquaitance  sake  have  a  smoke  apiece 
out  of  your  three-for-a-quarter  cigars.  I  suppose  they 
are  the  best  you  have." 


CHEYENNE  C-AMT,   INDIAN  TEKRITORV. 


A    VISIT    TO    THE    GRAND    OPERA.  123 


Diamond  Jack's  tongue  seemed  paralyzed  but  he  got 


the  cigars. 


Then  with  a  friendly  salute  the    two   Westerners  left 
the  place. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


SOUTH    BOUND    WITH    A     MEXICAN. 


After  the  escape  from  Diamond  Jack's  unsavory  den, 
the  two  men  walked  rapidly  down  the  street  in  silence. 
Presently  Hiram  Tinsley  stopped  before  a  clock  in  a 
window. 

"Half  an  hour  past  midnight,"  he  exclaimed,  "and  I 
am  to  board  my  train  for  home  at  one  o'clock!  By  the 
holy  school  of  Peripatetic  philosophy,"  he  continued.  "I 
want  to  get  there.  I  havent  been  so  anxious  to  see  Mary 
Jane  since  our  courting  days.  Thrash  my  cats,  if  Chicago 
society  has  any  more  inducements  for  me.  Come  along 
with  me  to  the  station.  It's  only  about  half  a  mile  over 
yonder." 

He  caught  Lucky  Ten  Bar  by  the  arm  and  hurried 
him  rapidly  along  as  if  the  one  object  of  his  life  was  to 
get  back  to  the  Tinsley  ranch.  In  due  time  he  found 
his  train  but  he  refused  to  let  his  companion  leave  him 
until  the  car  began  to  move.  With  a  loving  word  to  Mary 
Jane,  Minnie,  Phil,  and  the  three  grandchildren,  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  bade  adieu  to  the  prairie  philosopher  and  re 
turned  to  the  hotel  which  the  policeman  had  directed 


124  SOUTH    BOUND. 


him  to  the  foregoing  afternoon.  Before  getting  to  sleep 
he  pondered  deeply  over  his  experience  since  entering 
civilization.  Plainly  he  had  come  into  society  at  the 
bottom  of  thing.  ITis  awakening  was  rapid  and  his 
comprehension  of  the  relation  of  affairs  very  clear.  As  a 
stranger  in  the  midst  of  such  a  strange  life  he  felt  lost. 

The  next  day  he  found  himself  admiring  one  of  the 
big  stores  in  a  crowd  that  ignored  his  existence  even  more 
than  if  he  were  a  yearling  in  avast  herd  of  cattle  on  the 
plains.  He  imagined  that  his  condition  was  incompar 
ably  more  lonesome  and  friendless. 

Presently  some  jewelry  attracted  his  attention  and 
he  found  that  an  accomodating  clerk  was  bestowing  upon 
him  a  marked  solicitude.  It  gave  him  genuine  pleasure 
to  find  some  one  who  thought  him  worthy  of  attention. 
He  noticed  that  another  man  dressed  in  a  garb  much 
more,  familiar  to  his  eyes  than  that  of  the  crowd  was 
standing  near  him  also  attracted  by  the  same  show  of 
diamonds  and  gold.  The  stranger  appeared  to  be  as  lone 
some  and  friendless  as  himself.  It  is  said  that  misery 
loves  company  and  he  ventured  to  open  conversation 
with  the  man  who  was  evidently  as  far  from  home  as 
himself. 

The  stranger's  accent  was  as  marked  as  his  peculiar 
ities  of  dress. 

'  'Are  you  from  the  mountains?"  inquired  Lucky  Ten 
Bar. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  stranger,  "but  not  from  your 
mountains.  I  am  Mexican.  I  see  the  city  to  day  and 
then  return  home  by  way  of  New  Orleans  " 

"I  am  seeing  the  city  too,"   replied    Lucky   Ten  Bar 


WITH    A    MEXICAN. 


and  I  guess  this  day  will  satisfy  me  for  the  present. 
Suppose  we  do  the  rest  of  our  seeing  together.  It's  more 
social  like  and  interesting  not  to  go  it  alone. 

"All  right,"  replied  the  stranger  carefully  examening 
his  new  friend  and  appearing  to  be  perfectly  satisfied 
with  the  inspection.  I  have  seen  everything  but  the 
parks.  If  you  have  not  yet  seen  them,  suppose  we  take 
the  cable  car  near  here  and  go  first  out  to  Washington 
park." 

One  place  was  as  good  as  another  as  far  as  Lucky 
Ten  Bar's  knowlege  of  sightseeing  went  and  the  two  were 
soon  on  their  way,  growing  more  and  more  companion 
able. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar's  information  about  Greasers  was  not 
very  complimentary  to  the  people  of  Mexico,  but  if  all 
were  as  congenial  as  this  one,  he  was  ready  to  change 
his  opinion. 

They  left  the  car  near  the  conservatory  of  flowers 
and  passed  admiringly  through  it.  After  passing  out  of 
the  Southern  entrance,  the  Mexican  led  the  way  into  the 
bit  of  waste  grounds  used  as  a  garden  for  the  growth  of 
shrubs  and  large  plants.  It  looked  more  like  the  carica 
ture  of  a  jungle  than  a  section  of  a  city  park. 

Here  they  came  upon  the  prostrate  figure  of  a  colossal 
stone  man.  One  arm  was  pointing  to  the  sky  and  an 
other  was  held  out  as  in  depreciation  of  his  treatment. 
The  face  looked  upward  and  the  eyes  were  filled  with  the 
mud  from  accumulated  dust  and  dew. 

"What  is  it!"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar  in  some 
trepidation  not  knowing  but  that  it  was  a  monster  from 
some  prehistoric  age,  similar  in  origien  to  some  of  the 


126  SOUTH    BOUND 


colossal  bones  he  had  seen  picked  up  in  the  Bad  Lands 
and  the  Black  Hills. 

"This  is  evidently  a  discarded  stutue  of  Chistopher 
Columbus  the  discoverer  of  America,"  said  the  Mexican. 
"I  think  I  have  seen  it  before  when  it  was  more 
honored." 

The  park  policeman  observing  their  curiosity  came  up. 

"Wasn't  this  the  most  comspicuous  object  on  your 
lake  front  during  your  fair?"  he  asked. 

The  policeman  admitted  it. 

"Didn't  it  cost  a  pile  of  money?" 

The  amiable  blue  coat  admitted  the  indefinite 
amoun 

The  visitor  then  walked  around  the  head  of  the 
statue  and  examined  it  critically. 

"What  is  the  cause  of  such  an  ignominious  downfall 
to  so  illustrious  a  body?"  he  asked. 

"Some  one  questioned  the  art  of  the  thing,"  replied 
the  policeman  as  thoughtfully  as  he  knew,  "and  Chicago 
is  such  a  stickler  for  its  reputation  as  the  art  center  of 
the  world  that  the  park  commissioners  immediatly  ordered 
it  to  be  taken  down  and  the  place  leveled  where  it  had 
stood.  We  couldn't  allow  the  public  taste  to  be  vitiated 
by  a  single  imperfect  line  in  any  of  the  city's  statues." 

The  visitor  looked  relieved. 

"I  am  glad  to  find,"  he  replied,  "that  this  treatment 
of  the  great  discoverer's  image  is  not  from  causes  similar 
to  a  case  that  came  to  my  notice  down  in  Colombia. 
Plainly  Chicago  has  a  more  esthetic  conscience  in  art 
than  Colon." 

"You  see  it  was  this  way,"    continued   the   visitor  as 


THE    OLD    TRAPPER 


WITH    A    MEXICAN.  I2/ 

the  three  men  took  a  seat  on  the  stomach  of  the  great 
discoverer.  "The  Empress  Eugenie  of  France  disired 
very  much  to  show  her  good  will  to  the  Spanish  American 
republics,  in  order  to  counteract  the  ill  feeling  aroused 
by  her  husbond's  disastrous  friendship  for  Maxmillion 
who  thought  he  was  the  man  to  give  Mexico  a  more 
stable  government.  Being  a  descendant  of  the  Kings  of 
Arragon,  she  decided  that  the  most  appropriate  thing 
she  could  do  was  to  present  one  of  the  sea-port  cities  of 
Spanish  America,  with  a  colossal  statue  of  Columbus. 
As  the  town  of  Colon  on  the  gulf  and  in  the  province 
and  republic  of  Colombia  seemed  to  be  in  the  center  of 
patriotic  remembrances  of  the  great  admiral,  she  natur 
ally  concluded  that  the  people  there  would  have  the 
highest  appreciation  of  her  gift.  Accordingly  she  set 
the  best  talent  in  France  at  work  on  the  statue  without 
limitations  as  to  cost.  In  due  time  it  was  placed  on  a 
merchant  vessel  bound  for  Colon  accompanied  by  an 
autograph  letter  to  the  governor  of  the  province. 

"When  the  captain  arrived  with  his  precious  cargo, 
he  promptly  sent  the  letter  of  the  Empress  to  the  governor 
and  notified  the  alcalde  of  the  town  that  the  statue  of 
the  beloved  Admiral  was  ready  for  them  whenever  they 
paid  the  freight.  Whatever  enthusiasm  they  may  have 
had  vanished  with  the  latter  suggestion. 

''The  captain  of  the  ship  heard  nothing  from  the 
governor  or  alcalde.  The  gigantic  figure  of  the  Admiral 
sheltering  under  his  arm  the  republic  of  Colombia  repres 
ented  as  a  timorous  Indian  maiden  lay  across  the  deck 
on  the  port  side  until  the  time  arrived  for  him  to  sail, 


128  SOUTH    BOUND 


and  still  no  notice  whatever  had  been  taken  of  the 
captain  or  his  charge. 

"Exasperated  at  such  treatment  he  ran  his  vessel  as 
far  as  he  could  into  the  marshy  bay  and  dumped  Columbus 
and  the  maiden  Colon  into  the  surf. 

"Several  years  later  wken  the  Panama  and  Aspinwall 
railroad  was  completed,  the  manager  of  the  company 
conceived  the  brilliant  idea  that  the  surf-beaten  statue 
would  enhance  the  impressiveness  of  the  pageantry 
which  was  to  pass  by  in  parade  during  the  inauguration 
ceremonies  celebrating  the  opening  of  the  railroad  to 
travel.  After  several  days  of  hard  labor  the  statue  was 
rescued  from  its  miry  grave  and  mounted  on  a 
specially  constructed  car  drawn  by  a  dozen  yoke  of  oxen. 
When  the  inaugural  ceremonies  and  festivities  were  over 
there  was  no  longer  any  use  for  it,  and  no  longer  any 
interest  in  it.  So  it  was  set  up  in  the  market  place 
without  basement  or  pedestal.  The  depression  it  made 
in  the  ground  was  filled  with  the  first  rain  and  the  patriotic 
figure  soon  became  the  favorite  rendezvous  for  all  the 
town  geese  and  swine.  When  I  was  there  last,  Columbus 
was  wading  knee  deep  through  a  goose  pond  and  the 
Indian  maiden's  body  was  pretty  well  buried  under  the 
clay  contributions  rubbed  from  the  backs  of  the  friendly 
swine. 

"Chicago  has  a  better  appreciation  of  art  and  the 
Admiral  than  the  town  of  Colon,  or  the  republic  of 
Colombia,  for  this  city  is  willing  to  pay  the  bills,  charm 
the  visitors  with  the  awe-inspiring  figure  for  a  while,  and 
then  dump  the  gentlemnn  into  an  out  of  the  way  place 
where  he  can  gaze  on  the  sky  till  the  judgment  day, 


WITH  A  MEXICAN.  129 


when  his  art  detractors  will  receive  their  reward  and  cry 
for  the  mountains  to  fall  on  them." 

"Ah!  friend  Ten  Bar,"  he  continued,  "having  seen 
art  thus  honored  let  us  visit  the  stockyards." 

The  policeman  gave  them  directions  and  within  half 
an  hour  they  passed  under  the  arch  of  the  imposing  way 
which  led  to  the  city  of  dark,  massive,  and  mysterious 
buildings,  that  compose  the  chief  slaughter  house  of  the 
world. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  found  his  companion  to  be  a  man  of 
fine  observation  and  interesting  opinion.  The  Westerner 
was  rapidly  achieving  such  a  comprehension  that  he 
could  decide  correctly  on  the  appearances  of  things  in 
the  city,  as  well  as  on  the  plains.  Besides,  the  stories 
of  the  Mexican  gave  an  interest  to  travel,  and  inspired 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  with  an  ambition  to  see  the  world. 

The  live-stock  in  the  yards  were  the  first  thing  he 
had  seen  that  seemed  natural.  He  felt  a  special  friend 
liness  for  an  old  steer  which  he  saw  bearing  a  brand  with 
which  he  was  familiar.  He  patted  the  old  brute  on  the 
back  and  the  animal  seemed  pleased  that  he  had  met 
one  friendly  man  since  he  had  been  driven  from  the 
plains. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon  and  the  Mexican's 
train  started  South  at  half  past  eleven.  He  urged  his 
companion  to  go  home  with  him  but  Lucky  Ten  Bar  had 
promised  to  be  at  a  certain  graduation  exercise  in  the 
college  town  of  Sunset  on  the  Susquehanna,  in  Pennsyl 
vania  on  the  first  of  June  and  that  time  was  now  less  than 
two  weeks  distant. 

Then  go  with  me  as  far  as  New   Orleans,"  urged  the 


130  SOUTH    BOUND 


Mexican.  "It's  the  most  interesting  town  in  the  United 
States." 

It  took  but  little  urging  and  half  past  ten  found  them 
aboard  the  train  for  the  Southern  city. 

Pedro  Santillo,  the  Mexican,  was  a  man  who  hud 
travelled  extensively  and  he  had  a  fund  of  stories  that 
not  only  beguiled  the  way  but  added  much  to  Lucky  Ten 
Bar's  desire  to  see  the  world.  Incidentally  the  Mexican 
drew  many  stories  from  his  companion  and  came  to  know 
quite  thoroughly  his  unsophisticated  nature  as  well  as 
his  unusual  good  humor  and  quickness  of  perception  and 
action. 

Pedro  Santillo  enjoyed  a  broad  kind  of  exaggeration, 
and  when  he  heard  of  Lucky  Ten  Bar's  experience  in 
Chicago,  he  decided  that  there  was  a  good  opportunity 
for  amusement  at  the  Westerner's  expense  in  New 
Orleans. 

In  the  train  boy's  storehouse  of  merchandise,  the 
Mexican  found  a  guide-book  to  New  Orleans  which 
contained  a  short  history  of  the  city.  In  illustration  of 
the  lawless  condition  of  the  early  days  a  stirring  episode 
was  told.  This  served  the  Mexican's  purpose  to  impress 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  with  the  conviction  that  if  Chicago  was 
bad,  he  could  expect  New  Orleans  to  be  very  much  worse 
and  he  must  accordingly  be  on  his  guard  read}'  to  shoot 
before  the  other  rnan  could  draw. 

He  showed  Lucky  Ten  Bar  the  guide  book  and 
explained  that  it  was  furnished  by  the  railroad  for  the 
purpose  of  warning  and  directing  the  passengers,  as  the 
name  implied.  There  were  the  names  of  all  the  streets, 
public  places  and  points  of  special  interest.  Especially 


BUNKER  HILL  MONUMENT,    CHARLESTOWN,    MASS. 


WITH    A    EEXICAN.  131 


it  was  to  warn  strangers  of  danger  and  show  them  how 
to  avoid  difficulties,  a  thoughtful!  consideration  that 
raised  much  higher  in  his  estimation  the  railroad  that 
was  taking  him  into  New  Orleans,  than  the  one  that  took 
him  into  Chicago. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar's  experience  in  Chicago  made  him 
especially  sensitive  on  this  point.  Therefore  he  was  a 
ready  listener  when  Pedro  Santillo  read  a  story  to  him 
illustrating  the  danger  and  warning  the  visitors  of  the 
pitfalls  for  strangers  in  New  Orleans.  The  warning 
story  was  substantially  as  follows. 

"Old  mother  Colby,"  so  the  story  went,  "was  sole 
proprietor  of  the  "Sure  Enough"  tavern,  in  which  there 
was  a  saloon  with  a  gambling  attachment.  The  elder 
Contreras  brother  ran  the  saloon  and  the  younger  one 
the  gambling  den.  Bill  Sedley  a  man  from  somewhere 
away  up  in  Arkansas,  lost  there  in  gambling  at  "old 
sledge-hammer  seven  up"  the  bulk  of  the  money  he  had 
received  from  the  sale  of  his  cargo,  which  he  had  brought 
many  hundred  miles  through  almost  incredible  difficulties 
and  hardships. 

"I'll  be  dangecl  if  I'm  not  a  yaller  bantam  pullet  if 
Rube  Contreras  didn't  just  now  deel  a  keerd  from  his 
sleeve,"  remarked  the  man  from  Arkansas  as  he  saw  his 
money  going  with  the  luck  of  the  deals  invariably  against 
him. 

Drinks  were  called  for  by  his  friends,  with  the  hopes 
of  promoting  a  more  friendly  feeling,  but  Sedley  ordered 
a  "cocktail,  stiff,  you  bet!"  with  a  great  deal  of  emphasis. 

This  was  the  usual  note  of  defiance  used  when  men 
were  looking  for  trouble.  The  Contreras  brothers  were 


132  SOUTH    BOUND. 


noted  as  quick  and  deadly  shots.  They  rarly  permitted 
an  insult  or  defiance  of  any  kind  to  pass  without  an 
immediate  apology  or  the  offender  usually  went  out  soon 
after  feet  foremost  preparatory  to  burial.  Sedley's  friends 
thought  it  advisable  to  take  him  away  and  they  secured 
his  promise  to  leave  the  city  with  them  at  once. 

The  boys  went  out  of  the  house,  expecting  Sedley  to 
follow  them,  but  they  soon  heard  him  yell  in  a  loud 
voice,  "I'm  a  child  of  the  snappin'  turtle,  and  I  was 
raised  with  painters." 

That  exclamation  was  used  by  Bill  Sedley  only  when 
he  had  decided  that  there  should  be  a  funeral.  Several 
pistol  shots  were  heard,  and  immediately  Juan  Contreras, 
who  attended  the  bar,  closed  and  bolted  the  door. 

"Fair  play!  Fair  play!"  yelled  several  of  the  men 
outside,  trying  to  get  into  the  saloon.  Bang!  Bang! 
went  two  or  three  more  shots,  followed  by  the  crash  of 
glasses  and  a  pandemonium  ot  tables  overturning,  smash 
ing  chairs,  yells  and  curses.  Above  all  could  be  heard, 
"I  am  the  child  of  the  snappin'  turtle,  I  am.  By  the 
Lord  Hokey  Pokey  come  at  me  some  more." 

The  bang  of  revolver  shots  had  ceased  but  the  sounds 
plainly  indicated  the  continuance  of  a  deadly  struggle. 
That  the  Arkansan  was  still  in  the  fight  was  indicated 
by  his  incessant  talk. 

"There  take  that,  you  son  of  a  sea  cook,"  they  heard 
him  say,  "and  that  you  awkward  skullion." 

A  mighty  crash  followed,  indicating  that  the  bar  with 
all  its  contents  of  bottles  and  glasses,  had  been  over 
turned. 


WITH    A    MEXICAN.  133 


Crow  bars  were  brought,  and  the  work  of  breaking 
in  the  heavy  doors  began. 

"I'm  the  ragen  eagle  of  the  peaks,"  was  heard  from 
lungs  that  showed  no  weakening  of  physical  power,  "and 
when  I  flop  my  wings  the  avalanche  rolls  down  the 
slope." 

A  few  moments  more  and  the  frenzied  listeners  heard 
the  struggles  grow  fainter  and  fainter,  and  then  came 
some  fearful  groans.  All  sounds  seased  and  some  one 
was  unbarring  the  door. 

There  stood  the  doughty  Arkansan,  covered  with 
blood  but  smiling  blandly. 

"Walk  in,  gentlemen,  walk  in.  I'm  tendin'  bar  now, 
and  it's  free  drinks  to  you  all.  I'm  the  child  of  the 
snappin'  turtle,  and  the  American  Eagle  has  lit  on  the 
Rockies." 

His  left  arm  hung  by  his  side,  the  flesh  shredded  al 
most  to  the  bone  from  the  strokes  of  a  knife.  There 
was  a  frightful  gash  in  his  left  temple,  and  his  shirt  was 
slashed  and  bloody. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  cried,  "jist  help  yourselves!  the 
proprietors  has  went  on  a  sudden  journey.  Drink  to 
their  health,  gentlemen,  drink  to  their  health!" 

The  seven-up  card-sharp  was  streched  out  under  an 
overturned  table,  his  dirk  grasped  tightly  in  one  hand, 
but  a  gaping  bowie-knife  wound  in  his  left  side  told  the 
ghastly  story  of  his  fate.  The  bar  tender  lay  in  death 
agonies  across  the  overturned  bar,  a  useless  knife  and 
pistol  lying  near  him  on  the  floor. 

"Them  fellers  along  the  levee  think  they  are  quick 
and  tough,  was  the  only  explanation  ever  vouchsafed  by 


134  LUCKY    TEN    BAR 


Bill  Sedley,  but  they  aren't  a  circumstance  in  doing 
anything  to  fellers  that's  fought  wildcats  and  Injins  all 
their  lives." 

Pedro  Santillo  concluded  the  story  with  an  impressive 
shake  of  his  head.  He  was  careful  to  conceal  the  date 
of  this  occurence  and  still  more  careful  to  impress  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  with  the  idea  that  such  conflicts  were  to  be 
expected  at  almost  any  time  and  place. 

"Ive  seen  most  of  the  fighting  men  of  the  Northern 
rockies, "  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar,  deprecatingly,  as  he 
balanced  the  story  in  his  mind,  and  I  never  knew  any  of 
them  to  yelp  and  boast  as  they  fought." 

"But,"  he  added  meditatively,  -'the  world  outside  of 
the  plains  has  some  queer  creatures. 

It  was  with  considerable  satisfaction  that  the  Mexican 
saw  his  companion  buckle  a  belt  under  his  vest,  contain 
ing  two  six  shooters,  as  they  came  into  the  station  at 
New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


LUCKY  TEN  BAR  IN  NEW  ORLEANS. 


Lucky  Ten  Bar  knew  that  in  such  a  city  as  New 
Orleans  was  represented  to  be  by  the  railroad,  there 
were  unquestionally  many  trying  and  perhaps  thrilling 
experiences  awaiting  him.  He  set  his  teeth  to  see  them 
throusjl  like  a  hero. 


BEFORE  THE  ARCHED  ENTRANCE  SAT  A  GRIZZLED  OLD  MAN.       Page  140 


IN    NEW    ORLEANS.  135 

On  leaving  the  depot,  they  were  assailed,  by  an  un 
restrained  mob  of  colored  boys,  desiring  to  be  of  assist 
ance  to  them. 

"Heah  boss,  dis  way  to  de  bes'  hotel  in  de  city, 
gemmen." 

"Ah,  gway  yo'  fool-niggah  an'  let  de  gemmen  go 
wid  me!" 

"Tak'  you'  baggage,  Mistah?" 

"Does  yo'  want  a  boy  to  carry  yo'  grip  around?" 

"Show  yo'  there  sah." 

It  was  not  uutil  they  arrived  at  a  cross  street  that 
they  were  able  to  shake  loose  from  the  crazed  rabble  of 
importuning  piccaninnies,  like  a  hunter  fleeing  from 
hordes  of  mosquitoes,  and  go  on  in  peace  to  their  hotel. 
But  there  the  truce  ended.  Boys  of  all  ages  and  in  all 
conditions  of  prosperity  and  poverty  assailed  them  from 
every  side.  Some  desired  to  shine  the  stranger's  boots, 
others  were  eager  to  brush  their  coats,  about  half  a 
dozen  would  be  pleased  to  sell  them  a  morning  paper, 
while  a  few  asked  to  be  allowed  to  go  after  their  luggage, 
for  any  reward  from  a  penny  to  a  nickle. 

The  Mexican  knew  how  to  mange  the  importuning 
horde  but  Lucky  Ten  Bar  became  thoroughly  disgusted. 

"Git  out,  the  whole  jabbering  crowd  of  you,"  he 
shouted. 

"I  know  the  way  to  the  clerk's  desk,  and  when  I 
want  help,  I'll  ask  you." 

Nevertheless,  several  ambitious  youths  nearly  knocked 
one  another  down  in  their  efforts  to  lead  the  strangers  to 
the  hotel  register.  Then  they  escorted  him  to  the  elev 
ator,  and  one  succeeded  in  following  the  porter  who  was 


136  LUCKY    TEN    BAR. 

showing  the  way  to  the  room.  A  few  moments  later 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  immersed  in  soap  and  water.  Then 
there  came  a  knock  at  the  door.  Seizing  a  towel  and 
clearing  his  soapy  eyes,  he  turned  the  knob,  and  before 
his  astonished  gaze  stood  two  of  his  attentive  friends. 

"Ef  yo'  wants  anything,  sah,"  said  one  of  them, 
"jes*  let  Roxey,  heah,  know  'bout  it.  I  goes  off  at  ten 
and  doan  cum  back  till  night." 

"Clear  out!"  cried  the  exasperated  traveler,  hastily 
closing  the  door.  "I'm  in  the  habit  of  attending  to  my 
wants  myself." 

As  he  turned  to  his  bathing  he  muttered  somesthing 
about  the  blamed  Southern  hotel  that  had  such  hangers- 
on  in  the  place  of  properly  paid  attendants. 

They  had  little  enough  to  eat  on  the  way  South  and 
were  very  hungry.  Although  it  was  not  too  late  for 
breakfast  at  the  hotel,  Pedro  Santillo  preferred  to  amuse 
himself  with  his  genial  and  inexperienced  friend.  He 
led  the  way  to  the  Italian  quarters  and  they  took  seats 
at  the  table  in  an  elegantly  equipped  restaurant. 

A  bill  of  fare  in  Lucky  Ten  Bar's  hands  was  incom 
prehensible  enough  in  English  but  in  Italian  it  was 
impenetrable.  The  Mexican  spoke  Italian  well  enough 
to  tell  the  waiter  to  take  the  American's  order  first  and 
make  the  food  as  hot  as  the  law  allowed.  He  went  to 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  bent  over  him  in  the  listening 
attitude  of  an  enraptured  waiter  looking  forward  to  a 
healty  tip. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  scanning  the  bill  of  fare  with 
hungry  desperation.  A  sudden  inspiration  came  to  him. 


IN    NEW    ORLEANS.  137 


"The  same,"  he  ejaculated,  jerking  his  head  toward 
the  Mexican. 

Pedro  Santillo  saw  the  mistake  and  profited  thereby. 

"Start  us  in  with  ahottomale,"  he  ordered  in  Italian, 
"and  follow  it  up  with  deviled  crabs.  You  know  what 
you  can  get  up  on  an  order  for  a  late  breakfast  that  will  go 
the  farthest  toward  killing  an  American.  Get  it  up  hot 
and  I  will  pay  the  bill." 

In  due  time  the  hot  tomale  arrived  and  Lucky  Ten 
Bar  started  in  on  it  with  all  the  confidence  of  a  stomach 
that  had  long  been  greviously  empty.  In  accordance 
with  the  bigness  of  Rocky  Mountain  ideas  he  took  half 
of  the  tomale  in  his  mouth  at  once,  gave  a  bite  and  a 
swallow  after  which  there  was  a  sensation.  He  gave  a 
wild  look  at  his  companion  and  then  the  conflagration 
began.  Years  ago  he  had  been  struck  with  the  buck- 
ague  when  he  drew  down  on  the  first  Rocky  Mountain 
sheep  he  had  killed,  he  had  felt  the  sensation  of  going 
to  pieces  when  first  coming  on  to  a  desperado  he  had  set 
out  to  run  down,  he  had  been  run  over  by  a  stampeding 
cattle  herd,  he  had  been  frozen  in  blizzards  and  smoth 
ered  in  hot  winds,  but  this  was  the  first  time  he  had 
been  overwhelmed  with  all  these  sensations  at  once.  It 
took  bravery  and  nerve  to  be  calm.  He  had  both.  The 
eyes  of  the  Mexican  were  upon  him.  There  was  a 
moment  of  space  in  which  the  half  of  the  hot  tomale 
was  the  only  active  object  within  speaking  distance.  It 
seemed  to  be  beating  his  head  in  with  a  tomahawk  while 
bastinadoing  the  soles  of  his  feet  with  the  flipper  of  a 
whale,  but  the  pause  was  only  for  a  moment.  He  took 


138  LUCKY    TEN    BAR. 


a  fresh  grip  on  himself  and  calmly  swallowed  the  remain 
ing  half  of  the  toinale. 

He  thought  he  heard  the  Mexican  speak  to  him  once 
or  twice  before  the  rest  of  the  meal  was  served,  but  as 
his  tongue  seemed  to  be  as  large  and  as  long  as  his  arm, 
he  refrained  from  attempting  any  reply. 

The  second  course  consisted  chiefly  of  oil,  garlic  and 
spice.  He  picked  at  it  daintily  for  a' while  and  then  ate 
it  ravenously  when  he  found  that  it  had  absolutely  no 
taste.  In  due  time  he  found  the  use  of  his  tongue  but  it 
was  late  in  the  afternoon  before  he  could  fully  convince 
himself  whether  he  was  seeing  the  sights  of  New  Orleans 
on  his  head  or  on  his  feet.  Meanwhile  he  had  been  to 
Jackson  Square,  the  old  market,  and  had  taken  in  all 
the  processes  of  the  United  States  mint. 

The  time  for  the  noon  luncheon  came  and  the  Mexican 
steered  him  into  the  French  quarter  and  set  him  down 
in  a  French  restaurant,  but  as  this  meal  was  of  small 
proportion,  it  cut  little  figure  in  the  general  result.  To 
his  gratification  he  found  that  the  French  viands  were  as 
tasteless  as  old  straw  and  he  ate  like  the  Mexican. 

To  be  sure  the  rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in  rather  a 
dazed  way,  and  he  never  knew  just  where  he  went,  al 
though  he  realized  that  he  was  seeing  the  city  as  rapidly 
as  he  could  be  whirled  about  by  carriage  or  car. 

When  dark  came  he  was  in  the  Spanish  section  of 
the  city  and  of  all  the  vile  concoctions  called  food,  his 
evening  dinner  was  supreme.  Then  somehow  he  found 
himself  at  the  railroad  station  bidding  good-by  to  his 
Mexican  friend. 

"Great    man!"   exclaimed    Pedro   Santillo,  in  parting 


IN    NEW    ORLEANS.  139 


from  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  "You  are  a  man  after  my  own 
heart,  the  first  American  I  ever  saw  who  can  swallow 
like  an  Italian,  relish  good  food  like  a  Frenchman,  and 
digest  like  a  Spaniard.  Come  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  go 
to  the  president's  house  and  inquire  for  Pedro  Santillo, 
you  shall  then  live  on  the  fat  of  the  land." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  nodded  his  head  with  an  attempt  at 
a  smile  but  it  was  a  feeble  attempt.  Then  he  reeled  off 
to  his  hotel,  shook  the  colored  picaninny  satillites  off 
like  a  foundered  horse,  barred  the  door  end  went  to  bed. 
He  was  still  there  twenty-four  hours  later  and  strange  to 
say  he  was  not  hungry.  Luckily  the  big  pitcher  on  his 
stand  was  filled  with  water  when  he  went  to  bed,  but  at 
the  end  of  the  twenty-four  hours  it  had  all  been  poured 
down  his  throat  upon  the  comflagration  and  still  he  felt 
like  a  Pensylvania  coal  mine  afire.  The  next  morning 
he  felt  a  pang  that  he  recognized  as  what  once  meant 
hunger.  He  found  his  way  to  the  hotel  dining  room  and 
astonished  the  waiter  by  ordering  three  beef-stakes  well 
done  a  la  American. 

When  his  hunger  was  appeased  there  was  nothing 
left  on  the  table  but  the  spices  and  sauce  bottle.  They 
had  been  untouched.  Then  he  went  to  the  bath  room 
and  rolled  for  an  hour  in  a  tub  of  cold  water.  Half  an 
hour  later,  he  was  out  in  the  fresh  air,  beating  his  chest 
like  a  horse  kicking  down  a  barn  door  and  assuring  him 
self  that  he  was  really  once  more  Lucky  Ten  Bar. 

"Only  wait  until  I  get  that  Mexican  into  a  suitable 
place,"  he  consoled  himself  with  thinking.  "Wont  I 
make  it  hot  for  him?"  Well  the  Italian,  French  and 


I4O  LUCKY    TEN    BAR. 


Spanish   stuff   he   tried   to   burn  me  out  with  wont  be  a 
circumstance  to  the  dose  I'll  give  him." 

He  walked  on  and  on  without  care  as  to  direction 
satisfied  to  see  what  might  be  seen  by  accident. 

"A  stupid  town,"  he  declared  to  himself  after  walking 
an  hour  or  more  and  seeing  nothing.  "No  where  to 
compare  with  Chicago.  The  people  are  such  blamed 
fraidy-cats  that  they  build  high  iron  fences  around  their 
houses,  and  put  their  door  bells  and  locks  on  the  gates. 
Nothing  impresses  me  here  but  the  garlic,  oil,  and 
conflagration  peppers." 

"Well  here's  something,  a  garden  I  suppose,"  -lie 
mused,  stopping  at  the  corner  of  a  high  moss  covered 
and  crumbling  old  brick  wall. 

The  place  was  not  large  but  it  aroused  his  curiosity 
to  see  before  him  an  archway  entrance  at  which  sat  a 
grizzled  old  man  as  guardian. 

"What's  the  price?"  he  asked. 

"Nothing,"  was  the  reply  of  the  old  man  who  con 
tinued  to  read  his  newspaper  without  a  break,  "go  in 
and  stay  as  long  as  you  want  to." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  gave  a  gasp  as  he  stepped  inside. 

"I  should  say  a  garden,"  he  exclaimed  aloud.  "A 
garden  where  they  plant  people  and  raise  tombs.  I  may 
stay  as  long  as  I  want  to?  Well,  I  think  I'll  set  a  limit, 
I  would  not  be  planted  here  for  the  best  unmortgaged 
ranch  in  Parson  Brown's  better  world." 

"What's  the  name  of  this  tarnal  planting  place,"  he 
inquired. 

"St.  Louis,"  was  the  reply  without  lifting  his  eyes 
from  the  paper. 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  UTES  AND  COMANCHES, 


IN    NEW    ORLEANS.  14! 


"How  old  is  it?" 

"'Bout  two  hundred  fifty." 

"How  long  have  you  been  here?" 

"Thirty  years." 

"How  long  are  you  going  to  stay?" 

"Till  Gabriel  blows  his  horn." 

"What's  behind  them  furnace  doors  in  the  the  wall?" 

"Bodies  and  bones." 

"How  many?" 

"Five  hundred  bodies  in  the  wall  and  in  the  under 
vaults  two  thousand  five  hundred  times  two  hundred  and 
eight  bones  in  dust  and  pieces." 

"That's  good!  Here's  something.  Now  give  us  some 
more." 

The  old  man  felt  a  silver  piece  slip  into  his  hand. 
The  newspaper  went  down  with  a  bang  that  made  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  shiver  as  if  a  ghost  had  suddenly  flung  open  one 
of  the  furnaces-like  doors  and  thrown  one  of  the  withered 
wreaths  in  his  face. 

The  old  man  took  Lucky  Ten  Bar  by  the  arm  and 
ambled  nimbly  from  tomb  to  tomb  reciting  the  history 
of  each  with  the  time  and  precision  of  a  song. 

Some  of  the  tombs  were  of  beautiful  marble,  but 
many  of  them  were  of  perishable  stone  or  worse  brick. 
Most  of  the  vaults  were  gray,  cracked  and  weather- 
beaten.  On  some  there  was  not  the  slightest  sign  of  an 
inscription.  Once  in  a  while  there  was  a  stray  word  or 
letter,  but  the  rest  had  all  been  obliterated  by  time.  The 
tombs  were  so  thickly  planted  that  they  were  separated 
only  by  narrow  footpaths.  Weeds  and  grasses  surrounded 
and  nearly  covered  them.  One  was  shaded  by  a  large 


142  A    STRANGE    HEROINE. 


tree,  the  roots  of  which  twined  in  and  out  of  the  tomb, 
apparently  having,  at  one  time  received  nurishment  from 
the  corpse  itself.  There  were  all  signs  of  age  and  utter 
neglect.  The  shell  walks  were  uneven  and  crooked,  the 
gates  weather-beaten  and  unhinged  and  some  of  the 
tombs  in  the  last  stages  of  decay  and  destruction. 

"Is  this  a  freak  place?"  inquired  Lucky  Ten  Bar  as 
the  circuit  of  the  narrow  garden  of  the  dead  was  completed 
and  the  old  man  took  his  accustomed  seat,  becoming 
once  more  immersed  in  his  newspaper,  utterly  oblivious 
to  the  presence  of  living  or  dead. 

"No,"  was  the  sententious  answer. 

"Are  there  any  others?" 

"Dozens." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  gasped. 

"Guess  I'll  leave  this  town,"  he  thought,  as  he  walked 
away.  "I  wont  risk  any  chance  of  being  planted  here. 
It's  most  uncivilized  like.  I'd  rather  have  the  Indians 
scalp  me  and  the  coyotes  eat  me." 

An  hour  later  Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  aboard  a  train 
bowling  eastward  with  a  ticket  in  his  pocket  for  Atlanta. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


A    STRANGE    HEROINE. 


"Mercy  on  us,"  exclaimed  an  elderly  man  moving 
rsetlessly  in  his  seat.  "If  it  warn't  dark  I'd  git  out  and 
walk  for  a  change."  Lucky  Ten  Bar,  who  had  drawn 


THE    YOUNG    MAN    IN    BLACK    SKULL    CAP    SEIZED    HER    ABOUT     THE     WAIST 
AND    SPRANG    FROM    THE    TRACK.  See    Page  146 


A    STRANGE    HEROINE.  143 

a  close-fitting  black  skull-cap  over  his  head,  nodded 
approvingly  and  looked  gloomily  out  of  the  window  into 
the  dark  pine  forest. 

"We'll  never  git  thar,  we'll  never  git  anywher, "  con 
tinued  the  old  man  despairingly.  "At  this  speed  we'll 
never  git  out  of  these  endless  Georgia  woods,  leastwise 
not  in  my  life  time  Pulls  as  if  we  was  going  up  hill 
and  I  guess  these  two  coaches  with  us  here  and  the 
student's  base-ball  nine  in  the  front  car  is  too  big  a 
load." 

A  prolonged  screech  of  the  engine  almost  deafened 
them  and  the  train  began  to  slacken  its  speed  by  a 
series  of  rocking  jerks  and  bumps. 

"Guess  a  Mobile  skeeter  is  asleep  on  the  track  and 
they're  afeared  of  wrecking  the  train,  No,  as  I'm  alive, 
it's  two  passengers  out  of  the  woods,"  exclaimed  the 
voluble  old  farmer  as  the  car  stopped  and  a  bleary  old 
tin  lantern  cast  its  spotted  shadows  over  two  indistinct 
forms  clambering  with  difficulty  upon  the  rear  steps  from 
the  ground. 

Tne  car  started  with  a  series  of  neck-dislocating 
lurches  and  a  man  and  a  girl  managed  to  get  the  rear 
door  open  and  stagger  with  the  rolling  train  from  seat  to 
seat  through  the  car  to  the  front  end. 

The  girl  smoothed  her  hair  and  looked  back.  Her 
comely  plump  face  proclaimed  her  to  be  about  eighteen. 
Covering  her  shock  of  black  curls  was  a  broad-brimmed 
hat  of  the  most  unusual  fashion. 

In  the  front  waved  a  stately  bunch  of  yellow  fennel, 
in  the  rear  a  half  wilted  jimson  flower  rested  languidly 
upon  the  rim,  and  along  the  sides  were  a  profusion  of 


1 44  A    STRANGE    HEROINE. 

cotton  blossoms.  Her  neck  was  encircled  by  a  strand  of 
coarse  gaudy-colored  beads  from  which  hung  in  front  a 
large  yellow  disk  of  metal,  that  had  the  appearance  of 
being  a  gold  medal. 

The  front  door  of  the  car  opened  and  one  of  the  stud 
ents  in  his  fantastic  base-ball  garb  entered  and  seated 
himself  across  the  aisle  from  the  girl  and  her  companion. 
She  half  arose  and  smilingly  nodded  her  head  to  him  in 
familiar  salutation.  He  arose  and  elaborately  returned 
the  bow.  A  series  of  shouts  from  the  forward  car  showed 
that  his  comrades  had,  through  the  dusty,  smoky 
windows,  seen  his  exhibition  of  gallantry. 

They  crowded  back  into  the  car  and  surrounded  him 
offering  abundent  advice  and  encouraging  his  effort  with( 
many  exclarpations  of  approval. 

The  girl  looked  very  much  puzzled  at  the  singular 
hilarity  of  the  young  men,  raised  her  eye-brows  in  a 
comical  manner  and  sat  down  suddenly  on  the  red 
cushioned  seat  with  her  eyes  roving  from  one  to  the 
other. 

The  effervescent  nature  of  the  youths  needed  no 
further  provocation.  The  long  weary  journey  had  at 
last  produced  an  object  worthy  of  their  wit  and  humor. 
The  frequent  shrieks  of  the  engine,  the  showers  of  dust 
and  cinders,  the  rattling  cars  and  monotonous  forests 
were  to  be  forgotten  in  a  merry  flirtation  with  a  fantastic 
and  uncultured  girl  of  the  woods. 

She  was  constantly  nodding  to  them  and  smiling  in  a 
most  whimsical  way.  Her  companion  sat  with  bowed 
head  and  seemed  to  pay  no  attention  to  her  movements. 

A  sudden  lurch  of  the  car  threw  her  hat  into  the  aisle 


A    STRANGE    HEROINE.  145 

and  a  boisterous  uproar  of  youthful  hilarity  followed  as 
she  caught  it  up  and  crushed  it  in  her  lap. 

Then  they  noticed  that  she  was  becoming  more  rest 
less  and  that  her  courtesies  and  salutations  were  more 
frequent  and  nervous. 

'  'Hello,  little  sweetheart, "  ventured  the  yellow  headed 
youth  who  had  first  come  into  the  car. 

She  answered  with  a  smile  and  a  toss  of  her  pretty 
head  that  shook  the  black  curls  around  in  a  veil  over  her 
face.  Then  she  began  to  wave  her  hands  up  and  down 
like  a  brakeman  signaling  the  engineer. 

"She  wants  you,  yellow-head,"  cried  the  youths  in  a 
chorus  to  their  red-headed  companion,  and  then  they 
sang,  "I  want  yer  you  ma  honey,  yes  I  do"  at  the  top 
of  their  voices. 

"Mamie,  come  kiss  your  honey  boy, "  sang  the  yellow- 
headed  fellow  illustrating  the  song  with  beckonings  and 
jestures.  Her  arms  moved  more  rapidly  than  before, 
she  laughed  as  they  laughed  and  shook  her  head  until 
her  eyes  shone  through  the  tangled  mass  of  dark  ringlets 
like  those  of  a  rabbit  peering  out  from  its  burrow  of 
grass. 

"I'll  not  stand  such  insults  any  longer,"  cried  the 
young  man  in  the  black  skull  cap  to  the  old  farmer,  as 
he  rose  and  walked  rapidly  down  the  aisle  to  the  students. 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  meant  business. 

"Shame,"  he  cried  to  the  leaders,  "don't  you  see 
that  this  girl  has  all  the  features  of  a  lady  of  refinement 
and  all  the  indications  of  an  insane  women." 

A  roar  of  boisterous  laughter  drowned  his  voice  to  be 


146  A    STRANGE    HEROINE. 


in  turn  overhehned  by  the  shrieking  of  the  engine 
signaling  another  cross  road  station. 

The  girl  arose  and  began  to  wave  her  crushed  hat 
frantically  up  and  down  scattering  the  flowers  about  over 
the  seats  and  the  aisle.  A  wild  scramble  with  yells  like 
pandemonium  took  place  to  possess  the  mementoes  and 
the  young  men  fought  for  them  like  frantic  lovers. 

Meanwhile  the  cur  had  run  out  on  a  switch  and 
stopped.  The  head  light  of  an  engine  in  the  distance 
showed  the  approach  of  a  passing  train.  As  the  young 
men  were  scrambling  over  one  another  in  the  aisle  at 
her  side  the  girl  sprang  upon  her  seat  and  leaping  over 
the  back,  she  ran  down  the  aisle  toward  the  rear  door. 

"Stop  her,  for  God's  sake,  stop  her,"  cried  the  man 
who  had  sat  so  patiently  and  humbly  with  her  in  the  seat, 
as  he  tried  to  get  past  the  mass  of  struggling  youths. 

Realizing  that  something  appealing  to  their  better 
manhood  had  taken  place,  they  ceased  their  boisterous 
conduct  and  listened. 

"Daughty,  poor  Daughty,  my  little  girl,  O  my  God, 
where  is  she,"  he  cried  in  terror  and  despair. 

The  headlight  of  the  coming  engine  began  to  stream 
in  a  great  glow  along  the  track.  Suddenly  a  figure  sprang 
out  of  the  darkness  directly  into  the  roadway  of  brilliant 
light  and  the  arms  beat  the  air  with  the  broad-brimmed 
hat  as  if  in  frenzied  signalling. 

The  roaring  engine  was  now  only  a  few  feet  away.  A 
groan  of  horror,  arising  in  the  throats  of  all  changed  to 
a  shout  of  joy  as  the  young  man  in  the  black  skull  rap 
seized  her  about  the  vaist  and  sprang  from  the  track  just 
as  the  train  went  thundering  by. 


DEER  BY  MOONLIGHT. 


A    STRANGE    HEROINE.  147 


All  were  gathered  around  her  in  a  moment,  but  she 
had  fainted  and  was  in  a  profound  stupor. 

The  crest-fallen  students  carried  her  into  the  car  and 
made  a  comfortable  bed  for  her.  All  night  she  lay  un 
conscious.  When  morning  came  she  opened  her  eyes. 

"Daughty,  do  you  know  me,"  asked  her  father  ten 
derly  and  anxiously. 

' 'Know  you,  daddy.-'  why  of  course  I  do.  What  a 
foolish  question." 

Then  she  grasped  his  hand  and  asked  excitedly:  "The 
train,  did  I  save  the  train?" 

"Yes,  a  whole  year  ago,"  cried  her  father  joyfully. 
"And  here  is  the  gold  medal  given  you  for  your  noble 
bravery,"  he  said  lifting  the  yellow  disk  that  hung  from 
her  neck  so  its  figures  could  be  seen.  There  was  plainly 
pictured  the  figure  of  a  school  girl,  with  her  books 
strapped  about  her  shoulders,  fighting  the  fire  on  a  bridge 
high  over  the  water,  with  a  passenger  train  just  appear 
ing  in  the  distance. 

The  shock  following  her  heroic  deed  had  thrown  her 
into  brain  fever  and  unhinged  her  mind  for  a  year.  The 
excitement  through  which  she  had  just  passed,  acting 
in  the  mysterious  ways  of  such  things,  had  restored  the 
mental  balance  and  she  began  to  live  again  from  the 
point  where  her  mind  had  become  blank  the  year  before. 

There  are  now  nine  successful  young  business  men 
who  claim  that  the  lesson  of  that  night  was  the  turning 
point  in  their  lives,  when  they  laid  youthful  folly  aside 
and  tried  henceforth  to  reason  justly  and  to  bear  con- 
sistantly  the  character  of  men. 


148       A  NEGRO  NOT  BORN  TO  BE  HANGED. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


A  NEGRO  NOT  BORN  TO  BE  HANGED. — AN  INTERRUPTED 
LYNCHING. 


The  first  evening  after  his  arrival  in  Atlanta,  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  accepted  an  invitation  from  the  keeper  of  a 
Summer  resort  hotel  in  the  mountains  of  Southern 
Virginia.  Here  he  felt  more  at  home  than  at  any  place 
he  had  seen  since  the  train  took  him  out  of  the  station 
at  Harrison,  Nebraska.  On  the  third  day  of  his  visit 
occured  a  characteristic  adventure  in  which  the  Western 
training  of  Lucky  Ten  Bar  came  in  good  play,  but  of 
which  his  friends  never  heard  until  they  read  in  an  Ohio 
paper  the  story,  as  written  by  a  philanthropic  old  gentle 
man  named  Johnson  who  found  himself  unexpectedly 
one  of  the  central  figures  in  the  impending  tragedy. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  never  liked  to  tell  of  any  episode  in 
which  he  had  a  prominent  part.  Therefore  this  experience 
would  have  gone  into  oblivion  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
admiration  of  the  fussy  old  gentleman  who  was  involved. 

In  this  case,  he  was  enjoying  the  scenery  about  the 
solitary  hotel  in  the  mountains  and  incidentally  re 
cuperating  from  the  unusual  mental  and  physical 
disturbances  of  the  last  fe.w  clays. 

The  old  gentleman  in  question  with  his  wife  was 
there  for  the  period  of  Winter  months  and  had  become 
greatly  interested  in  the  stories  of  a  negro  school  just 
over  a  near  ridge  of  the  mountains.  There  was  some 


A    MOMENT    MORE    AND    A    DOZEN    HORSEMEN    CAME    INTO    VIEW.         Page    153 


AN  INTERRUPTED  LYNCHING  149 

kind  of  a  feud  between  the  white  people  of  the  region 
and  the  negroes  who  were  friends  of  the  school.  One 
day  the  old  man  determined  to  visit  the  school,  although 
against  the  protestations  of  the  landlord  of  the  hotel. 

A  character  of  the  place,  who  was  known  as  John 
Roberts,  offered  to  take  him  on  the  proposed  visit. 
Roberts  had  just  finished  building  a  house  for  himself 
near  the  hotel  and  was  waiting  for  his  family  to  come  up 
from  Tennessee. 

The  guide  led  the  old  man  a  toilsome  journey  over 
the  ridge  and  when  they  came  in  sight  of  the  school 
building  there  was  yet  an  almost  impossible  chasm  to  be 
crossed. 

The  guide  looked  across  and  declared  that  the  school 
building  was  deserted.  Plainly  the  school  had  a  vacation 
or  for  some  reason  was  closed.  He  offerered  to  go  and 
see  for  sure  while  the  old  man  rested. 

He  was  gone  nearly  an  hour  and  then  came  back 
saying  that  there  was  a  notice  posted  on  the  door  to  the 
effect  that  the  two  week's  Spring  vacation  was  then 
being  taken. 

The  old  man  sorrowfully  returned  to  the  hotel  having 
taken  his  exhausting  walk  for  nothing. 

What  follows  is  the  story  as  the  old  man  wrote  it  to 
his  home  paper  and  is  perhaps  more  interesting  in  his 
own  quaint  description. 

"The  next  morning,"  so  the  story  ran,  "I  was  in  my 
room  absorded  in  the  news  of  the  daily  paper  when  there 
was  a  series  of  sharp  raps  upon  my  door.  Startled  at 
such  an  intrusion  I  bade  the  impatient  visitor  to  come  in. 
To  my  astonishment  half  a  dozen  excited  men  entered. 


I5O       A  NEGRO  NOT  BORN  TO  BE  HANGED. 

"Were  you  at  the  nigger  school  yesterday?"  the 
leader  inquired  bluntly. 

"No,  sir,"  I  replied.  "I  got  no  nearer  than  half  a 
mile." 

"Did  your  guide,  Mr.  John  Roberts,  go  there?" 

"I  do  not  know,"  I  said  angry  at  their  abrupt  cate 
chizing.  I  could  be  induced  to  believe  that  when  he 
left  me  to  go  to  the  sable  institution  of  erudition,  which 
you  mention,  that  he  merely  ambled  down  into  one  of 
the  shady  gulches  took  a  nip  at  bis  bottle  and  after  half 
an  hour's  sleep  came  back  with  a  report  collated  from 
one  of  his  dreams." 

'  'You  say  you  do  not  know, "  interrupted  my  persistent 
questioner.  "Do  you  hear,  gentlemen,  he  says  he  does 
not  know.  Remember  Mr.  Johnson  we  have  wittnesses 
to  what  you  have  said,  and  at  the  same  time  just 
recollect  that  we  don't  relish  having  outsiders  making 
any  interference  in  the  administration  of  justce  among 
our  own  people." 

They  went  out  before  I  could  again  get  my  tongue 
under  control  it  was  twisted  into  so  many  whip-cracking 
words  struggling  for  utterance.  I  remained  speechless 
until  my  wife  came  in  and  shook  me  together.  When 
I  told  her  what  had  happened  she  said  that  neither  of  us 
ever  had  an  ancestor  so  degenerate  as  to  bequeath  us  an 
inheritance  of  hereditary  timidity  and  we  forthwith  be 
came  furious.  She  wanted  to  know  what  it  was  all 
about.  Then  it  occured  to  me  that  I  did  not  know,  that 
I  had  not  thought  to  find  out.  My  wife  disappeared 
through  the  door  and  I  was  contented  to  leave  the  matter 
with  her  and  go  back  to  my  news-paper. 


AN    INTERRUPTED    LYNCHING.  I  51 

In  a  little  while  she  returned  with  the  information 
that  the  white  people  were  in  great  wrath  and  excite 
ment  over  the  audacity  of  one  of  the  nigger  teachers  in 
having  John  Roberts  arrested  on  the  charge  of  having 
set  fire  to  their  school  house  the  afternoon  before,  from 
which  cause  it  had  been  reduced  to  ashes.  Such  a  display 
of  impudence  against  the  white  population  had  never 
been  heard  of  until  the  nigger  teacher  had  begun  to 
teach  them  anarchy.  I  now  saw  where  I  was  interested 
and  my  wife  said,  that,  if  necessary,  she  would  furnish 
all  the  money  needed  to  prosecute  the  criminal  who 
would  do  so  inexcusable  a  dead  as  to  burn  down  a  school 
house.  My  wife  is  a  very  determined  and  patriotic 
woman,  but  some  how  she  cannot  rise  in  politics  and 
philosophy  above  school  houses  and  homes. 

The  day  passed  peacefully.  The  next  morning  my 
wife  went  down  to  breakfast  earlier  than  I,  thus  leaving 
me  subject  to  the  intrusion  of  any  ribald  interloper.  She 
had  scarcely  left  the  room  when  the  manager  of  the 
hotel  knocked  on  my  door.  I  found  him  in  a  very 
disturbed  state  of  mind. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  he,  "that  Mr.  Robert's  house 
was  burned  down  last  night." 

I  confessed  ignorance. 

"Fearing  trouble,  Mr.  Roberts  sent  his  family  that 
had  just  arrived  from  Tennessee  to  stay  all  night  at  a 
neighbor's,  while  he  slept  in  the  new  house. 

In  the  night  he  was  awakened  by  some  sound.  He 
smelled  fire  and  rushing  outside  saw  his  house  in  flames, 
and  the  negro  who  caused  his  arrest  yesterday,  just 


152       A  NEGRO  NOT  BORN  TO  RE  HANGED. 


disappearing  in  the  darkness.  Some  men  headed  by  Mr. 
Roberts  are  out  after  him  and  if  he  is  caught, "- 

The  hotel  manager  stopped  and  smiled. 

I  shuddered. 

My  wife  had  returned  in  time  to  hear  the  last  words. 
I  was  mute,  not  so  my  wife.  She  is  a  woman  of  opinions. 
She  had  been  investigating. 

"Mr.  Roberts  would  have  made  a  fine  politician  if  he 
had  been  brought  up  under  favorable  conditions,"  she 
began.  "His  house  is  insured  for  more  than  it  is  worth, 
but  he  will  never  be  able  to  collect  the  insurance;  he  is 
after  the  young  man  who  swore  to  having  seen  from  a 
neighboring  cliff  the  negro-hating  gentleman  set  fire  to 
the  negro's  school  house,  but  I  think  the  witness  will  not 
be  hanged  to-day." 

The  hotel  manager  protested  a  little  against  such 
sentiments  and  left  the  room.  My  wife  is  a  very  correct 
woman.  She  is  a  prophet. 

All  day  I  was  nervous,  restless  and  miserable.  In 
the  afternoon  my  wife  advised  me  to  take  my  gun  and 
Uno  our  little  dog  and  go  out  along  one  of  the  near 
mountain  ridges  where  I  could  find  some  exhilirating 
amusement  in  correcting  the  sights  of  my  gun  on  some 
convenient  target.  I  consented  and  Uno  was  transported 
with  delight  to  see  me  go  out  alone.  He  performed 
acrobatic  feats  enough  to  have  given  him  international 
fame  at  a  metropolitan  vaudeville. 

The  day  was  beautiful  and  I  walked  a  long  distance 
up  the  ravine.  I  was  looking  around  for  a  target  wide 
enough  to  correct  the  errors  of  my  gun,  when  Uno  began 
to  whine  and  run  between  my  feet.  The  sounds  I  had 


AN  INTERRUPTED  LYNCHING  153 

interpeted  as  the  fall  of  water  beyond  me  now  resolved 
itself  into  the  tramp  of  horses  feet.  A  moment  more 
and  a  dozen  horsemen  came  into  view.  One  of  the 
horses  was  carrying  a  young  negro. 

John  Roberts  was  riding  at  the  front  and  when  he  saw 
me  he  gave  a  yell  that  caused  the  men  to  stop  their 
horses. 

"There's  the  jaded  old  cuss  who  thinks  niggers  better 
than  white  men,"  he  cried.  "Let's  give  him  an  object 
lesson  in  good  government.  His  companions  gave  vent 
to  their  approval  and  enthusiasm  by  yelling  and  firing 
rifle  shots  in  the  air. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that  boy?"  I  asked 
boldly  walking  forward  on  the  elevation  where  I  stood  to 
a  point  near  them  and  nearly  on  a  level  with  their 
heads. 

"Hang  him,  hang  him,"  they  yelled  vociferously  over 
and  over  again. 

Such  blood  as  I  had  was  up  and  pouring  around 
through  me  like  a  thousand  cataracts. 

"You  lawless,  God-forsaken  men,"  I  cried.  "I  will 
go  the  boy's  bail  for  any  sum  your  magistrate  may  name. 
Otherwise,  put  him  in  jail  like  decent  civilized  men  and 
I  will  give  a  ten  thousand  dollar  bond  to  see  that  he  is 
punished  if  convicted  by  any  lawful  decision  of  any 
legally  constituted  jury." 

Such  a  howl  of  prolonged  laughter  I  never  before 
heard.  One  would  have  thought  that  the  skirmish  line 
of  two  contending  armies  had  suddenly  met  from  the 
rapid  reports  of  fire  arms  that  followed  their  yells,  all 
fired  in  the  air  in  celebration  of  my  speech. 


154       A  NEGRO  NOT  BORN  TO  RE  HANGED. 


"Here's  a  tree  with  a  limb  made  for  the  purpose," 
cried  John  Roberts.  "Bring  the  nigger  and  the  rope  and 
let  the  gouty  old  cuss  get  a  good  view  of  the  best  free 
show  he  ever  saw." 

A  rope  was  thrown  over  the  limb  near  me  and  the 
horse  carrying  the  boy  was  being  led  to  it.  Then  I  was 
startled  by  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  man  at  my  side. 

"Hold,"  he  cried  in  a  powerful  voice  and  with  up 
lifted  hand.  The  men  stopped  in  sheer  astonishment  at 
being  so  boldly  interrupted. 

"Who  is  the  accuser  of  this  boy?"  added  the  man  in 
the  same  voice  of  authority. 

"I  am,"  said  John  Roberts  stepping  out  from  the 
rest. 

"Of  what  do  you  accuse  him?" 

"Burning  my  house." 

"When?" 

"One  o'clock  last  night." 

"Let  not  one  of  you  dare  to  damn  your  soul  with  the 
awful  crime  you  are  about  to  commit,"  continued  the 
man  whom  I  now  saw  to  be  the  Westerner  who  had 
caused  us  to  stare  so  at  the  hotel. 

"That  boy  is  guiltless,  I  saw  the  negro  preacher  an 
hour  ago  who  says  that  this  boy  left  his  house  last  night 
in  the  company  of  others  who  came  to  tell  him  the  resull 
of  a  meeting  held  a  few  hours  before  to  consider  the  re 
building  of  their  school  house.  And  that  man's  word 
goes,  see." 

"It  would  have  been  impossible,"  continued  the 
Westerner,  '  'for  him  to  have  reached  Mr.  Roberts  house 
till  it  was  in  ashes,  even  if  there  were  not  abundant 


AN  INTERRUPTED  LYNCHING.  155 

evidence  to  prove  that  he  did  not  cross  the  mountain  all 
night. " 

"He's  lying  for  the  nigger,"  cried  John  Roberts  in  a 
rage.  Up  with  the  fire-bug  and  let  all  meddlesome  out 
siders  take  warning." 

A  rush  was  made  for  the  tree. 

"Stop,"  cried  the  man  at  my  side  in  a  voice  that 
echoed  through  the  ravines. 

"Stop"  he  repeated,  snatching  the  gun  from  my 
hands,  "I  will  prevent  this  atrocious  murder  at  any 
cost.  Loose  the  prisoner  or  the  first  unlawful  movement 
of  any  of  you  shall  mean  death  to  the  man  that  does  the 
moving,  see." 

"Come  here,"  he  commanded  beckoning  to  the 
colored  boy. 

The  boy  jumped  from  the  horse  and  climbed  the 
rock  to  our  side. 

"This  boy  is  not  under  lawful  arrest,"  he  continued, 
"therefore  you  are  justfied  in  letting  him  go.  If  you  go 
home  and  do  some  investigating,  you  will  find  that  Mr. 
Roberts  house  was  set  on  fire  from  the  inside,  and  yet, 
his  windows  and  doors  went  through  the  fire  locked. 
The  incendiary  carried  a  key." 

"Lies!  Lies!"  screamed  John  Roberts  jerking  his 
shot  gun  to  his  shoulders.  The  sharp  note  of  my  rifle 
was  heard  followed  like  a  magnified  echo  by  the  report 
of  the  shot  gun  held  smoking  in  the  hands  of  John 
Roberts.  That  worthy  advocate  of  summary  justice  was 
dancing  about  shaking  a  bleeding  hand  and  one  of  the 
horses  was  roaring  and  snorting  almost  throwing  his 
rider  at  every  plunge.  Blood  was  flowing  from  the  poor 


I  56       A  NEGRO  NOT  BORN  TO  1!E  HANGED. 


animal's  side  where  a  charge  of  buck  shot  had  entered. 
Then  the  enraged  owner  began  to  curse  the  unfortunate 
Roberts,  whose  shot  gun  had  been  discharged  so  pre 
maturely,  with  a  torrent  of  oaths  that  brought  the 
sympathy  of  all  the  men  to  the  poor  horse.  To  hang  an 
accused  negro  was  commendable  justice  but  to  kill  a 
horse  was  evidently  in  their  eyes  an  unpardonable  crime. 

The  poor  animal  was  soon  killed  to  make  an  end  of 
its  misery,  and  thoroughly  demoralized,  the:  men  filed 
along  the  ravine  after  John  Roberts,  who  had  hurried 
away  to  dress  the  wound  made  by  my  rifle,  which  proved 
itself  unerring  in  the  cause  of  human  rights. 

"I  thank  you  very  much  for  the  use  of  your  gun," 
said  the  interesting  young  man.  "A  very  excellent  gun, 
sir,  a  very  accurate  one.  I  hope  you  will  consider  the 
catridge  as  one  having  expended  its  force  in  a  good 
cause." 

While  I  was  standing  around  trying  to  thank  him,  he 
got  away  and  I  have  never  seen  him  since. 

My  wife  would  have  done  better. 

She  got  enough  facts  into  the  hands  of  the  insurance 
company  so  that  the  scoundrel  could  not  collect  a  cent 
on  the  house  he  had  burnt,  but  I  have  never  heard  that 
he  ever  had  any  other  punishment. 


AT    THE    DEPOT    IN    SUNSET    HE    WAS    MET    BY    HELEN    WISNER    AND    HER 

MOTHER,  See  Page  169 


THE    LONG    WYA    THROUGH    DIXIE.  157 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE. 


"Atlanta!  how  clo  I  like  Atlanta!"  repeated  Lucky 
Ten  Bar.  "Well  I'd  rather  die  there  than  in  New 
Orleans.  It's  more  elevated  and  people  are  put  away 
there' like  Christians.  That's  the  first  thing  I  inquired 
about  when  I  got  off  of  the  train.  When  I  found  she 
was  civilized  on  that  count  I  was  willing  to  put  up  for  a 
stay  all  night." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar's  seatmate  in  the  car,  that  was  taking 
them  Northward  from  Richmond,  smiled  at  the  peculiar 
conceit  of  his  companion  but  saw  clearly  that  he  was  in 
earnest. 

"Did  they  have  anything  there  that  struck  you  as 
being  as  interesting  as  what  you  saw  in  New  Orleans  or 
Chicago?"  inquired  the  traveling  man  who  had  become 
interested  in  the  Westerner. 

"Did  they!"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  "Well  I 
should  say  they  did.  I  believe  they  have  the  greatest 
theater  there  on  earth.  I  paid  a  dollar  to  stand  up  at 
the  Grand  Opera  Show  in  Chicago  and  heard  a  lot  of 
people  singing  their  raging  quarrels  and  bloody  murder  at 
one  another,  but  in  Atlanta  they  put  it  through  according 
to  Hoyle.  Besides  it  only  cost  half  as  much  for  a  seat 
in  the  front  row  as  it  did  for  the  stand-up  at  the  singing- 
show.  The  nigger  band  they  had  put  it  all  over  the 


158  THE    LONG    WAV    THROUGH    DIXIE. 

Grand  Opera  orchestra  or  whatever  you  call  it.  They 
played  natural.  Only  one  thing  dashed  me  a  little  as  I 
was  leading  the  usher  down  to  my  seat.  I  was  very 
much  surprised  to  hear  an  awful  noise,  a  continual  buzz, 
buzz,  so  loud  that  you  couldn't  hear  yourself  think.  But 
when  I  got  to  my  seat  and  turned  around  and  looked  up 
at  the  gallery  I  knew  where  the  noise  came  from.  The 
gallery  was  one  mass  of  pickaninnies.  Nearly  every  face 
was  slashed  with  an  extensive  grin,  the  few  boys  that 
weren't  laughing  were  taking  part  in  excited  arguments 
over  seats  and  standing  room,  Well  you  never  heard 
such  a  din  or  saw  such  an  amusing  sight  in  your  whole 
life.  When  the  first  musician  came  out  and  unfolded  a 
music  rack  the  black-faced  crowd  exploded  completely, 
and  the  howls  and  hoots  and  whistles  and  squeals  were 
indescribable.  The  howl  kept  up  during  the  whole  time 
the  string  band  was  see-sawing  and  continued  through 
out  the  first  act.  Every  few  moments  the  hero  or  the 
funny  man  or  the  old  servent  would  march  to  the  front 
of  the  stage  and  implore  the  mob  to  cease  their  shrieks, 
but  they  were  waiting  for  the  pickaninny  band,  and  when 
the  talented  pickaninnies  appeared  on  the  stage  you 
could  hear  a  pin  drop.  The  colored  performers  on  all 
kinds  of  knock-out  instruments  were  called  back  as  long 
as  the  gallery  lungs  held  out." 

"O  it  was  a  great  show,"  reasserted  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
as  he  saw  his  companion  smiling. 

"There  were  two  good  villains  that  hissed  'fo — oiled' 
and  'cu — u — rssse  him,'  and  tried  to  slay  the  hero  three 
times  in  every  act,  but  they  couldn't  do  it,  because  little 
Georgia,  the  heroine,  always  arrived  in  time  to  save  him. 


NAVAJO  CHURCH,  NEAR  FORT  WINGATE,   NEW  MEXICO. 


THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE.  159 

There  was  an  old  negro  who  told  about  Jonah  getting 
into  trouble  with  a  whale,  and  an  old  mammy  who  did  a 
jig.  Everybody  got  married  in  the  last  act,  except  the 
two  villains  who  were  hustled  off  to  jail.  That  show 
was  as  good  as  a  circus,  and  I  tell  you  I  know  what  a 
good  circus  is  for  I  won  a  broncho  at  one  once,  as  good 
a  broncho  as  ever  bucked  a  meddlesome  tenderfoot  off 
his  back  or  kicked  the  daylights  out  of  a  horse-thief." 

"How  do  I  like  Richmond?"  he  continued  as  his 
inquisitive  friend  drew  out  in  conversation  the  unique 
observations  of  the  Westerner.  "O,  I  like  Richmond 
the  best  of  any  place  I  have  struck  yet  and  if  I  could 
not  live  in  Paradise  Valley  I  believe  I  should  like  next 
best  to  live  in  Richmond.  About  where  Jeff  Davis' 
mansion  stands  would  be  the  site  I  should  select  for  my 
home,  and  the  mansion  itself  would  do  very  well  for  me. 
It  is  a  very  handsome  building  especially  as  it  has  been 
done  over  by  the  ladies  of  the  Confedercy  for  their 
museum.  It  has  a  fine  view  of  the  James  river  and  all 
the  country  across  the  river,  and  I  believe  that  house 
would  suit  me  to  a  "T". 

"The  floors  are  all  marble  and  the  stairs  are  stone; 
it  looks  as  though  it  would  stand  for  ages.  I  had 
remorkable  good  luck  in  Richmond  for  I  took  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  Mr.  A.  C.  Becker,  who  was  untiring  in 
his  courtesies  to  me  and  insisted  on  showing  me  every 
spot  of  historical  interest.  He  did  me  the  honor  to  bring 
his  wife  and  two  charming  daughters  to  dine  with  me  at 
the  hotel  one  evening. 

"He  showed  me  the  old  St.  John's  church,  where  a. 
fellow  they  called  Patrick  Henry  once  stood  up  and  sassed 


l6o  THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE. 

the  British,  he  showed  me  Gen.  Lee's  residence  and  St. 
Paul's  church  where  Jeff  Davis  received  the  news  of  the 
surrender  of  Gen.  Lee.  He  showed  me  also  the  statue 
of  Washington  in  the  Capital,  and  presented  me  with 
several  thousand  dollars  of  Confederate  money.  I  told 
him  I  would  rather  have  "Green  Backs"  instead  but  he 
did  not  seem  inclined  to  make  the  exchange. 

He  showed  me  Chief  Justice  Marshall's  residence, 
Gen.  A.  P.  Hill's  statue,  Gen.  Robt.  E.  Lee's  monument, 
the  Monumental  church,  the  statue  of  Henry  Clay  in  the 
Capitol  grounds,  Tomb  of  President  Monroe,  statue  of 
Stonewall  Jackson  and  the  stone  house  where  Washing 
ton's  headquarters  used  to  be. 

"He  took  me  out  to  Richmond  College  and  to  the 
battlefields,  and  I  tell  you  what  he  made  my  stay  in 
Richmond  one  I  shall  never  forget.  I  notice  they  have 
decent  cemeteries  there  and  that  goes  a  great  way  with 
me,  but  the  air  is  so  good  and  the  location  so  high,  I 
think  it  would  be  a  long  time  before  a  cemetery  would 
be  needed  if  a  person  lived  there,  they  might  dry  up  and 
blow  away,  but  never  die. 

"O,  say,  did  you  go  through  the  State  House  Grounds 
and  see  those  large  tame  squirrels?  When  I  first  saw  them, 
I  was  about  to  draw  my  revolver  and  shoot,  but  Mr. 
Becker  caught  my  arm  and  told  me  they  were  tame,  so 
we  stopped  and  you  would  be  surprised  to  see  how  tame 
they  were,  they  jumped  on  my  back  and  on  my  arms  and 
would  sit  on  their  haunches  and  eat  anything  I  would 
give  them.  They  came  out  of  holes  in  the  trees,  down 
the  trees,  out  of  the  ground  and  from  every  direction  and 
if  one  stopped  there  a  little  while  they  would  be  all 


THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE.  l6l 

around  and  all  over  him,  especially  if  he  had  some 
thing  to  feed  them  as  we  had." 

"I  went  to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  found  it 
pretty  noisy  but  the  noise  they  made  was  not  to  be 
compared  with  the  noise  they  make  on  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Trade." 

"Yes,  Richmond  is  all  right,  but  to  see  it  right  you 
must  have  someone  to  show  it  to  you,  who  is  acquainted." 

The  commercial  traveller  was  thus  beguilding  the  way 
in  an  unusually  interesting  manner,  but  presently  the 
questions  were  turned  on  him.  Lucky  Ten  Bar  could 
ask  as  well  as  answer. 

"So  you  once  started  with  your  new  wife  to  ride  on  a 
tandem  from  Richmond  to  Washington, "  persisted  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  after  he  had  turned  interviewer.  "You  don't 
mean  to  say  that  you  rode  over  these  hills." 

"All  right,  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it  if  you  are  inter 
ested,"  said  the  commercial  traveller.  "It's  perhaps  my 
time  anyhow  and  my  experience  may  do  you  good.  You 
may  get  married  yourself  sometime." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  shook  his  head  reflectively.  "I  have 
never  seen  but  three  girls  that  would  suit  me.  The 
second  got  married  when  I  was  a  boy  the  third  is  en 
gaged  to  be  married  in  a  year  and  the  first  I  was  separated 
from  in  New  York  when  I  was  eight  or  nine  years  old. 
I  may  be  able  to  use  your  story  as  a  warning  to  my 
friends." 

"Should  you  be  a  stranger  riding  a  tandem  with  your 
new  wife  through  Virginia,"  the  commercial  traveller 
began  "and  should  any  of  the  natives  tell  you  that  you 
can  ride  a  wheel  from  Richmond  to  Washington,  doubt 


1 62  THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE. 

them  on  the  spot  and  so  save  yourself  and  precious 
companion  from  heaps  of  trouble.  I  know  for  it  happened 
so  to  me.  Like  many  another  enterprise  this  one  began 
in  promising  conditions  and  ended  in  total  bankruptcy." 

"It  was  Sunday  morning  and  we  were  an  animated 
couple  spinning  with  unusual  energy  on  the  first  tandern 
that  ever  ran  along  the  delightful  but  deceiving  toll-road 
leading  north  out  of  Richmond.  Our  ardor  was  undimin- 
ished  even  when  we  plunged  into  the  impassible  sand  at 
the  end  of  the  turnpike.  Not  till  we  had  pushed  our 
wheel  through  two  or  three  negro  picnics,  comparable  to 
nothing  more  closely  than  to  disturbed  ant  hills,  did  the 
exhuberance  of  our  spirits  begin  to  wane  and  the  heat  of 
a  Summer  Sunday  begin  to  tell  on  our  youthful  energy. 

"Then  we  struck  spiral  trails  over  sandy  billows  that 
seemed  mountain  high.  My  wife  had  thoughtfully 
provided  a  luncheon  but  her  thoughtfulness  had  not  gone 
far  enough  to  include  something  to  wash  it  down  our 
parched  throats.  Water  was  becoming  the  most  pain 
fully  desirable  thing  in  the  world. 

"O  for  a  glass  of  water!  Our  tandem  for  a  glass  of 
water!"  I  exclaimed  as  we  began  the  ascent  of  a  seemingly 
endless  hill. 

"Never!"  cried  my  wife  as  she  mopped  the  perspira 
tion  from  her  face  and  the  dust  from  her  eyes.  "It  will 
be  longer  between  drinks  than  this  before  I  sanction 
such  an  offer." 

My  wife  is  a  matter-of-fact  woman  unable  to  distin 
guish  between  an  exclamation  made  to  the  winds  and  a 
legal  proposition  that  can  not  be  retracted.  A  king,  in 


THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE.  163 

the  excitement    of    war,    might    offer  his   kingdom   for  a 
horse  but  that  tandem  was  non-negotiable. 

We  reached  the  top  of  the  hill,  dropped  the  bicycle 
in  the  middle  of  the  road  and  sat  down  in  the  shade  of  a 
thorn  tree  to  rest  in  silence  and  misery.  We  wondered 
if  anybody  really  lived  in  those  interminable  clay  hills 
and  if  they  ever  had  any  use  for  wells  or  water.  Pres 
ently  our  revery  was  cut  short  by  the  clear  notes  of  a 
song  rising  from  the  foot  of  the  long  hill. 

"Halle,  hallelujah 

He  whom  I  fixed  my  hopes  upon, 

Glory  in  my  soul." 

Evidently  a  happy  darky  was  toiling  after  us  up  the 
hill.  The  tandem  was  saved,  he  would  lead  us  to  water 
without  the  costly  sacrifice  of  our  beloved  wheel.  We 
strained  our  eyes  through  the  overhanging  trees  down 
the  winding  road  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  our  welcome  visitor. 
The  song  came  on  swelling  in  volume  and  we  caught 
sight  of  an  enormous  yellow  umbrella  moving  slowly  up 
the  hill.  A  pair  of  big  dust-covered,  much  dilapidated 
shoes  were  plying  back  and  forth  just  under  its  lower 
edge.  Not  knowing  just  what  might  be  behind  the  tent- 
like  structure  we  said  nothing  till  one  of  the  shuffling 
shoes  struck  the  rear  wheel  of  our  tandem,  the  umbrella 
went  down  and  the  song  and  its  singer  collapsed  in  its 
folds. 

"O  Lawd,  have  mercy!"  roared  the  black  mass 
struggling  between  the  ribs  of  the  yellow  sunshade  and 
the  bars  of  the  bicycle. 

"Tank  de  good  Lawd,"  he  exclaimed  fervently  as  he 


164  THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE. 

extracted  himself,  lifted  his  umbrella  clear  of  the  ob 
struction  and  stood  erect  with  his  back  to  us.  He 
surveyed  in  amazement  the  obstacle  that  had  caused  his 
downfall. 

"In  the  Lawd's  name  and  for  the  Lawd's  sake,  what 
am  dat,"  he  exclaimed  stepping  backwards  till  his  heels 
struck  the  bank  and  he  sat  down  suddenly  between  us. 

''My  good  man,"  I  said,  "Where  can  we  get  a  drink? 
We  are  painfully  thirsty." 

"Yes,  sir  we  will  be  everlastingly  oblidged  to  you  for 
a  drink  of  water"  added  my  wife  as  he  rolled  his  eyes 
from  me  to  her. 

He  was  speechless  and  we  both  repeated  our  earnest 
request. 

"Wattah!  Yes,  sah  wattah.  De  sweets'  wattah  in 
all  de  Ian.  De  wattah  ob  life  flowen  freely.  Whosoever 
will  may  come  an'  drink.  Fse  jes  coming  to  do  belobbed 
spring  fo'  de  las'  time  in  dis  yeah  world.  Mistah,  dat 
wattah  am  the  healin  of  de  saints." 

"Where  is  it?"  cried  my  wife  and  I  rising  in  eager 
expectation. 

"De  good  Lawd  hab  preserbcd  dat  spiing  where  it 
am  ebber  since  I  was  a  chile.  But  I  hab  been  out  Wes" 
an'  I  am  bad.  I  am  a  bad  nigger,  sah.  Mo'  'an  a  hundred 
miles  hab  I  been  out  Wes'  an  I  is  dangerous." 

"But,  where  is  the  spring,  where  is  the  water?  We 
are  dying  of  thirst." 

"Dat's  what  I  allus  say,  in  de  mids'  of  life  we  am  in 
death.  So  I'se  a  trabblin  de  journey  of  death.  I'se  a 
mountain  nigger,  I'se  a  Hoosier  and  I'se  bad." 


THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE.  165 

In  desperation  I  thrust  my  hands  into  my  pocket  and 
drew  out  some  nickles  and  dimes.  "Take  this'"  I  cried, 
"and  show  us  where  we  can  get  a  drink." 

"Fo'  de  Lawds  sake,  Mistah,  wherefor  should  I  take 
yo'  money  when  I'se  to  be  burnt  to-night  and  dere  is  to 
be  wailin'  gnashin'  of  teeth  at  the  railroad  bank  yander. 
I'se  a  gwine  to  see  if  de  stuck-up  'spress  train,  dat  doan 
stop  up  here  for  nobody  but  stuck-up  folks  at  Richmon' 
and  Washington,  kin  massacre  my  flesh  an'  blood  wid' 
impunity.  I'se  gwine  ter  see  if  de  stuck-up  yengineer 
kin  see  a  rock  in  de  road  as  big  as  ma  boy's  body.  Jes 
hang  around'  till  de  moon  cum  up  in  the  big  brack  sky 
an'  den  yo  see  de  fires  wat  am  roastin'  dis  yere  niggah. 
An'  yo'll  heah  de  yellen  an  de  hooten  mix  up  wid  the 
groanen  of  de  dyin'  when  dis  niggah  am  a  burnen'.  I'se 
gwyen  to  try  a  'speriment.  I'se  gwyen  to  see  if  de  eyes 
in  de  engine  knows  a  rock  from  a  niggah  boy  sleepin'  on 
de  track.  If  dey  does  know  de  difference  den  bang  I 
shoot  hees  head  off  when  de  train  stop,  'cause  it  prove 
he  murdes  ma  boy.  If  he  kain't  see  de  rock  no  more'n 
ma  boy,  den  he  go  down  de  bank  to  de  judgement  seat." 

"What!"  I  cried  in  alarm  forgetting  my  thirst,  "would 
you  kill  a  train  load  of  innocent  people  for  revenge  on 
the  engineer?" 

He  looked  at  me  pityingly. 

"De  good  Lawd  takes  care  of  his  lambs  and  de  folks 
dat  git  on  dat  train  is  in  the  hollow  of  his  han." 

He  rolled  his  eyes  heavenward  in  speechless  reverence. 
My  parched  tongue  rasped  against  the  sides  of  my  mouth 
and  reminded  me  of  my  burning  rage  for  water. 


166  THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE. 

"In  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  I  implored,  "where  can 
we  get  a  drink?" 

"Fo  de  Lawd's  sake  just  behin'  yo, "  he  replied  point 
ing  through  a  clump  of  bushes.  I  stepped  with  alacrity 
to  the  place  indicated  and  there  not  more  than  half  a 
dozen  yards  away  arose  a  delicious  spring  of  pure  water 
from  a  nest  of  pebbles  and  flowed  away  under  the 
leaves. 

When  we  had  refreshed  ourselves,  we  turned  to  thank 
our  dangerous  benefactor  but  he  was  gone. 

Half  a  mile  farther  on,  we  came  to  a  deserted  field 
across  which  ran  a  railroad  over  a  high  grade.  Near  the 
track,  we  discovered  the  big  yellow  umbrella  moving 
about.  It  forcefully  recalled  the  horrifying  threats  of  the 
negro.  We  saw  the  umbrella  climb  the  grade  and  stop 
on  the  track,  then  it  came  down  and  rested  near  an  old 
dead  tree?  We  were  too  far  away  to  see  if  any  obstacle 
had  been  left  on  the  tracks  but  my  wife  believed  that  she 
could  see  a  dark  object  like  a  rock  near  one  of  the  rails. 
We  heard  the  roar  of  an  approaching  train  and  saw  the 
rising  smoke  of  the  engine  just  behind  the  bend. 

"Great  heavens!"  I  ejaculated  as  the  perspiration 
broke  out  anew  on  my  face,  "are  we  to  witness  a  terrible 
catastrophe  and  be  powerless  to  prevent  it?" 

"Look!  he  has  a  gun,"  cried  my  wife  in  horror. 

Sure  enough  the  umbrella  had  been  dropped  and  he 
held  something  in  his  hand  like  a  rifle. 

The  train  was  now  in  sight.  I  sprang  over  the  dilap 
idated  fence  and  ran  down  the  field  screaming  and  wildly 
waving  my  arms.  It  was  no  use,  the  train  rushed  on.  I 


THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE.  l6/ 

stopped  and  covered  my  face  with  my  hands.  There 
was  no  crash,  I  looked  up  and  the  train  was  speeding 
away  while  the  negro  was  calmly  digging  potatoes  with  a 
long-handled  hoe." 

The  story  was  done  and  Lucky  Ten  Bar  slowly  re 
turned  from  romance  to  earth. 

With  such  a  genial  companion  the  afternoon  passed 
rapidly  and  it  was  nearing  evening  when  a  body  of  water 
became  visible  through  the  car  window. 

"What's  that?"  asked  Lucky  Ten  Bar  excitedly,  "I 
haven't  seen  the  sea  since  I  was  a  kid." 

"No,"  answered  his  companion,  "that  is  the  Potomac. 
We  will  soon  be  in  Washington.  If  you  want  me  to,  I 
will  take  you  to  a  suitable  hotel  and  if  you  care  to  spend 
a  few  dollars  I  will  order  a  carriage  and  guide,  who  will 
show  you  the  sights  of  the  National  Capital  so  that  you 
will  appreciate  them  and  save  time." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  looked  at  his  companion  suspiciously. 
The  commercial  traveller  saw  his  hesitation  and  under 
stood  the  doubt. 

"Here's  my  card,"  he  said.  "If  anything  goes  wrong 
with  you  while  in  Washington,  call  on  me  or  send  for 
me  and  it  will  be  made  right." 

"All  right,"  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar,"  you  know  I  have 
had  the  eye  teeth  skinned  off  of  me  since  leaving  the 
plains  and  I  have  at  last  concluded  to  take  Parson  Brown's 
advice  and  think  twice  before  I  make  a  jump." 

The  next  day  Lucky  Ten  Bar  enjoyed  the  luxury  of 
a  carriage  and  a  reliable  guide.  For  the  first  time  in  his 
life  as  he  began  to  apreciate  the  machinery  of  the  govern- 


1 68  THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE. 


mcnt  under  which  he  lived,  he  felt  the  pride  of  being  an 
American.  One  day  was  not  enough.  Neither  were  two 
days  nor  three  -days.  The  guide  had  one  of  the  best 
patrons  he  ever  saw.  It  was  a  revelation  and  a  great 
awakening.  Truly  it  may  be  said  that  the  national 
capital  is  not  only  a  "city  of  magnificent  distance,"  as 
Charles  Dickens  so  well  discribed  it  long  ago,  but  it  is  a 
liberal  education  for  every  man  and  woman  who  would 
take  time  to  study  what  it  contains. 

As  seen  from  the  heavy-colurned  porch  at  the  Lee 
mansion  at  Arlington,  from  the  windows  that  look  out 
from  the  great  Washington  monument,  from  the  statue 
of  General  Scott,  at  the  soldiers  home,  or  from  the  dome 
of  the  great  Capital  building,  there  is  more  under  the  eye 
of  the  beholder  to  encourage  civilization,  than  from  any 
other  place  in  the  whole  world.  Such  a  sight  is  well 
worth  a  pilgrimage  across  the  continent,  and  the  American 
who  has  traveled  over  all  the  earth,  and  yet  not  seen 
Washington,  cannot  say  that  he  has  viewed  the  most 
that  has  been  done  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  man 
kind. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  regarded  it  as  fortunate  that  he  could 
get  out  of  the  third  large  city  he  had  been  in  without  a 
single  mishap.  Clearly  he  was  becoming  wise.  As  he 
rode  north  toward  the  tittle  collage  town  of  Sunset  an  the 
-Susquehanna,  where  he  was  going  to  be  present  at  the 
graduation  of  Helen  Wisner,  he  thought  over  the  events 
that  had  occured  since  he  left  the  plains  and  he  decided 
that  it  had  in  every  case  required  the  exercise  of  as  much 
courage  to  come  out  victorious  as  any  of  his  most 
dangerous  encounters  in  the  \Vest.  He  also  realized 


THE    LONG    WAY    THROUGH    DIXIE.  169 

that  before  he  became  master  of  circumstances  and 
conditions  in  the  East,  he  would  require  the  exercise  of 
still  as  much  more  self  possission  and  courage. 

At  the  depot  in  Sunset,  he  was  met  by  Helen  Wisner 
and  her  mother.  It  was  the  same  genial  and  admirable 
girl  that  he  had  seen  from  the  gate  of  the  mountain 
crevice  after  his  hours  of  horror  in  the  Bad  Land,  the 
same  beautiful  woman  he  first  saw  picking  flowers  in  the 
garden  of  Paradise  Valley.  And  yet,  how  changed! 
More  stately,  more  firm,  better  poise  and  stronger 
confidence.  He  mentally  envied  Bradley  Van  Dusen. 
There  was  a  man  who  was  fortunate  and  making  no 
mistake. 

As  long  as  Helen  Wisner  was  near,  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
feared  neither  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  table  nor 
of  the  parlor.  Her  tact  made  him  feel  as  polished,  refined 
and  polite  as  the  best  of  them.  Only  one  dreadful  void 
was  always  present.  The  atmosphere  of  college  talk 
was  new  to  him  and  he  neither  understood  nor  appreci 
ated  the  conversation  about  him. 

"My  mind  needs  filling  up  a  bit,"  he  said  to  Bradley 
Van  Dusen  after  the  graduating  exercises.  "And  I  guess 
I  can  get  hold  of  the  stuff  right  here  to  fill  up  the  vacant 
place." 

"You  are  right,"  said  Bradley  Van  Dusen  giving  him 
a  familiar  tap  on  the  shoulder.  "You  just  sit  around 
under  the  gentle  showers  of  knowlege  falling  periodically 
in  each  of  the  college  class  rooms  and  it  will  be  the 
making  of  you.  But  watch  out  that  yon  are  not  dead 
easy  game  for  the  Susquehanna  girls." 


LUCKY    TEN    BAR 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


LUCKY    TEN    BAR    AT    COLLEGE. 


Bradley  Van  Dusen's  advice  that  his  friend  spend  a 
year  at  an  obscure  though  select  Methodist  college  as 
a  midway  polishing  course  preparatory  to  entering  New 
York  society  appeared  to  Lucky  Ten  Bar  to  be  a  reason 
able  proposition.  It  would  give  him  a  chance  to  get 
some  idea  of  history  and  literature,  polish  a  little  both 
his  language  and  his  manners,  and  at  the  same  time 
accustom  himself  somewhat  to  the  society  of  ladies 
having  Eastern  ideas  of  propriety. 

With  little  difficulty  an  arrangement  was  made 
whereby  Lucky  Ten  Bar  could  become  an  irregular 
student  having  the  priviledge  to  be  a  listener  in  any  class 
that  he  found  most  enjoyable  and  profitable. 

The  institution  was  located  in  a  picturesque  place 
among  the  Pennsylvanian's  hills  and  Bradley  Van  Dusen 
was  thoroughly  familiar  with  both  teachers  and  students, 
the  little  college  having  been  endowed  by  his  father, 
any  friend  he  brought  there  was  sure  of  a  royal  welcome. 

"I  have  only  one  bit  of  advice  to  press  upon  you," 
said  Bradley  Van  Dusen  as  Lucky  Ten  Bar  wrote  the 
name  William  Brown  on  the  register.  "Bask  all  you 
please  under  the  tender  influences  of  femininity  but  don't 


SHE  CAME  TRIPPING  ALONG  THE  PATH.      See  Page  172. 


AT    COLLEGE.  I /I 


be  susceptible  to  any  of  them.  I  will  take  you  next  year 
into  a  more  profitable  field  in  New  York." 

Without  this  advice,  Lucky  Ten  Bar's  experience 
might  have  been  fatal. 

Chaos  and  confusion  fill  the  opening  days  of  the 
college  year,  but  yield  quickly  to  system  and  order. 
Such  a  process  of  change  from  vacation  to  study  produces 
feeling  in  those  concerned  like  the  first  swirl  of  snow 
that  indicates  the  change  of  life  from  Autumn  to  Winter. 

The  haughty  certainty  of  those  students  who  know 
their  places  is  everywhere  evident  over  the  humble  un 
certainty  of  the  ones  who  have,  for  the  first  time, 
registered  their  names  on  the  college  books.  Older 
pupils  find  keen  pleasure  in  showing  the  new  ones  how 
gratifying  it  is  to  be  familiar  and  confident,  able  with 
ease  and  assurance  to  go  into  places  where  the  novice 
fears  to  venture. 

A  crowd  of  students,  anxiously  alert  to  all  that  passed 
about  them,  stood  on  the  broad  steps  that  lead  to  the 
front  entrance  of  the  principal  building.  Their  quality  as 
new  arrivals,  was  briefly  commented  on  by  the  two 
young  men  who  were  strolling  leisurely  by,  arm  in  arm, 
as  if  conscious  of  a  superior  standing  in  that  temple  of 
learning.  Both  were  neatly  dressed  and  by  their  judicial 
demeanor  the  observer  would  decide  that  but  little  of 
their  time  was  spent  in  the  usual  frivolities  of  college 
life.  Some  distance  beyond  them  their  path  through  the 
cedar  trees  crossed  another  which  lead  to  the  front  of  the 
building. 

'  'Look!"  exclaimed  the  young  man  of  the  Teutonic 
cast  of  countenance.  "Yonder  comes  her  Ladyship. 


LUCKY    TEN    BAR 


The  Summer  vacation  has  made  her  a  trifle  stouter;  but, 
no  doubt,  she  is  the  same  interesting  Nana  and  will 
continue  to  furnish  such  observing  mortals  as  you  and  I 
with  plenty  of  material  for  reflection." 

His  companion,  upon  catching  sight  of  the  girl, 
stopped  short  and  then  moved  slowly  on,  keeping  a  low- 
spreading  cedar  between  her  and  them.  She  came 
tripping  along  the  path  with  the  air  of  a  dainty  Dresden 
shepherdess  walking  out  of  its  world  of  porcelain.  With 
every  step  the  broad  brim  of  her  hat  flapped  against  the 
half-circle  of  brown  curls  that  fell  thick  and  tangled 
about  her  shoulders. 

"You're  not  so  anxious  to  see  her  as  I  would  expect," 
continued  the  speaker,  as  he  observed  with  curiosity  and 
amusement  the  efforts  of  the  other  to  keep  well  hidden 
behind  the  cedar  tree. 

"Indeed!"  exclaimed  the  one  thus  spoken  to.  "I 
wish  you  would  walk  faster,  Otto.  She  will  be  sure  to 
see  us.  I  wouldn't  meet  her  just  now  under  any  cir 
cumstances.  Last  year  you  were  something  of  a  philos 
opher  and  prophet  for  me.  Since  that  time  I  have 
become  considerably  disenthralled.  My  awakening  may 
not  be  due  either  to  your  prophesies  or  your  philosophy, 
but  I  must  admit  that  it  is  partly  to  your  credit.  My 
abnormal  fraternal  interest  in  trying  to  enhance  the  value 
of  her  genius  has  waned.  Until  I  have  a  more  satisfying 
understanding  of  affairs,  I  have  decided  to  be  neutral." 

"Brave  boy!  Wise  boy!"  Otto  Hubbard  answered, 
patronizingly  patting  his  friend's  shoulder,  "I've  always 
had  faith  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  fact  over  fancy.  A 


GRANT'S  MONUMENT,   N.  Y. 


AT    COLLEGE.  1/3 


man  is  safe  whenever  he  can  see  the  real  through  the 
artificial  make-up  of  the  ideal." 

They  turned  about  and  looked  after  the  retreating 
figure  of  the  girl,  now  safely  beyond  them.  She  was  but 
a  short  distance  from  the  corner  of  the  building  when 
she  suddenly  stood  still  near  a  bunch  of  shrubs  which 
surrounded  a  rustic  seat,  and  then  shrank  back  into  the 
shelter  of  the  thick  foilage.  After  pulling  her  curls  out 
fluffier  around  her  ears,  she  began  very  leisurely  to  pluck 
the  flowers  from  the  nearest  branches  of  the  bushes. 
The  cause  of  this  carefully  planned  maneuver  was  soon 
apparant.  A  young  man  of  studious  appearance  and 
grave  demeanor  was  approaching.  He  walked  slowly, 
his  hands  behind  him  and  his  eyes  upon  the  ground.  As 
he  reached  the  bushes,  the  girl  plunged  her  face  into 
the  handful  of  huge  blossoms  which  she  had  gathered,  and 
stood  there  as  cleverly  posed  as  the  greatest  actress  that 
ever  graced  a  stage.  With  an  illsuppressed  cry  of  de 
light  he  grasped  her  hands,  causing  the  burden  of  flowers 
to  fall  around  them  both  in  a  pinkish  shower.  Seeing 
the  mischief  that  had  been  wrought,  he  as  quickly  let 
her  hands  fall  and,  dropping  on  his  knees,  hastened  to 
restore  the  flowers  he  had  so  abruptly  scattered.  She 
thanked  him  with  a  pretty  courtesy,  worthy  indeed  of  a 
Dresden  shepherdess,  and  raised  her  eyes  to  his  as  if  in 
childish  admiration. 

"Sidney,  my  boy,"  said  Otto  Hubbard,  "are  you 
letting  your  young  eyes  gaze  upon  that  exhibition  of 
sweetness,  beauty  and  truth?  It's  not  necessary  to  hear 
her  words  to  know  that  her  tongue  is  delivering  many  a 
studied  phrase  which  goes  to  make  up  her  little  speech 


174  LUCKY    TEN    BAR 


about  the  pleasure  and  satisfaction  she  feels  at  being 
again  privileged  to  listen  to  his  inspiring  instruction. 
Look  close  now,  my  boy,  and  tell  me  what  you  think 
you  see." 

"Infatuation  and  its  priestess,"  was  the  reply,  "I'm 
at  an  utter  loss  to  decide  which  is  greater,  the  man's 
mental  derangement  or  the  woman's  social  treason." 

A  crowd  of  students  hurrying  down  the  path  inter 
rupted  the  greeting  of  the  clever  pupil  and  her  infatuated 
teacher.  The  later,  lifting  his  hat,  walked  rapidly  across 
the  campus  away  from  the  view  of  the  observing  college 
chums.  He  was  soon  hidden  from  them  behind  the 
intervening  trees  and  shrubbery.  The  two  observers  of 
the  little  scene,  so  prettily  played  by  the  adept  heroine, 
once  more  clasped  arms  and  resumed  their  walk.  But 
the  departing  audience  did  not  go  far  uninterrupted. 
They  heard  a  shrill  trill,  that  inimitable  call  so  much 
used  by  children;  and,  looking  back  toward  the  clump  of 
bushes  they  saw  the  girl  standing  on  tip-toe,  waving  her 
handkerchief  to  someone  in  the  street.  The  flowers, 
like  all  stage  accessories  which  have  served  their  purpose 
and  become  useless,  were  lying  crushed  under  her  feet. 
A  faultlessly  dressed  youth  who  was  lounging  indolently 
along  the  walk,  hastily  threw  away  his  cigar,  so  as  not 
to  interfere  with  the  college  rules,  vaulted  lightly  over 
the  fence  and  hastened  to  her  side. 

"What  a  versatile  genius,"  remarked  Hubbard  with 
mock  admiration,  "to  play  a  symphony  and  a  fandango 
on  the  same  string — 

"And  with  no  intermission  or  change  of  scene," 
added  his  companion. 


AT    COLLEGE. 


Musing  and  silent  they  walked  on  to  their  room. 
There  Hubbard  continued  with  the  thread  of  thought 
which  evidently  had  not  been  laid  aside. 

"So  you  have  concluded,"  said  he,  ''to  give  up  your 
philanthropic  guardianship  over  the  ward  who  found 
your  practical  wisdom  such  a  help  to  her  genius.  I  told 
you  it  would  not  pay.  What  girl  knows  so  well  as  she, 
how  to  touch  the  strings  that  make  the  music  for  the 
lover's  dance — be  he  a  jumping-jack  or  a  devoted  in 
structor  of  Christian  ethics?  Let  the  music  play  and  the 
lover  dance.  If  you  are  not  charmed  it  is  no  concern  of 
yours  how  she  disposes  of  herself  or  them." 

Sidney  Brooks,  being  in  that  impulsive  period  of 
youth  when  feelings  often  burst  their  bounds,  turned 
with  no  little  fierceness  upon  his  complacent  friend,  and 
replied  hotly,  "I  am  not  charmed,  neither  do  I  dance, 
but  I  am  concerned.  If  such  a  thing  is  possible  I  mean 
to  learn  the  reason  why  Nana  Boatmore  is  so  devotedly 
admired  and  so  thoroughly  despised!  If  I  question  her 
excellence,  I  find  I  am  offending  someone;  if  I  praise  her 
skill,  I  am  no  less  likely  to  be  considered  a  pitiable 
dupe. " 

"My  dear  Sidney,"  responded  Hubbard  with  irritating 
calmness,  "do  not  ruffle  your  plummage  for  so  slight  a 
cause.  Your  eyes  are  not  properly  focused  or  adjusted. 
I  neither  admire  nor  dispise  her,  because  I  see  her  as  she 
is.  She  was  my  most  practical  and  valuable  study  last 
year  in  the  honor  and  virtue  of  women.  I  am  now  able 
to  distinguish  the  true  gems  of  womanhood  at  a  glance, 
and  I  cannot  be  decc:ived  by  imitations,  however  artfully 
they  may  be  polished  and  set.  I  am  man-wise  through 


176  LUCKY  TEN  BAR 


Professor  Vinne,  woman-wise  through  her  Ladyship,  and 
world-wise  through  a  careful  respect  for  the  shades  and 
perspectives  of  human  nature." 

The  young  philosopher  settled  back  in  his  chair, 
complacently  drew  a  cigar  from  his  pocket  and  proceeded 
slowly  to  light  it,  shrouding  the  act  in  that  meditative 
coolness  which  is  often  assumed  when  an  interesting 
morsel  of  information  is  about  to  be  bestowed  upon  an 
anxious  listener. 

"Do  you  know  why  the  lamb  loved  Mary  so?"  he 
queried  in  continuation.  "Well  Miss  Boatmore  has  a 
special  fondness  for  lambs.  You  remember  what  our 
great  statesman,  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke  said  about 
sheep.  He  said  that  he  never  saw  a  sheep  that  he  did 
not  feel  an  impulse  to  go  out  of  his  way  to  kick  it.  She 
likes  to  fondle  the  lambs  and  kick  the  sheep.  She  has 
no  other  personal  fondness  or  social  inspiration.  Her  art 
is  her  only  pleasure,  her  one  ambition  in  life;  and,  as 
long  as  she  can  find  those  who  like  to  have  their  souls 
tattoed  with  her  figures  of  love-making  folly;  wrhat  matters 
it  to  you  or  me?  By  the  way,  my  boy,  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  that  you  have  had  some  tender  confidences  with 
this  girl,  you  are  so  interested  in  her  disposition.  It 
takes  a  ton  of  faith  to  produce  an  ounce  of  doubt." 

Sidney  Brooks  looked  upon  his  friend  Hubbard  as  a 
man  more  eccentric  in  his  philosophy  than  in  his  friend 
ship,  therefore  he  felt  no  reserve  in  exchanging  facts  and 
opinions.  Drawing  his  chair  farther  away  from  the 
cloud  of  smoke,  in  whose  swarthy  fog  Otto  Hubbard's 
figure  was  gradually  becoming  less  and  less  distinct, 
Sidney  Brooks  proceeded  to  state  his  case. 


AT    COLLEGE.  I  77 


'  'It  did  not  take  me  long  to  discover  that  Miss  Nana 
Boatmore  has  a  talent,  I  may  even  call  it  a  genius,  for 
insinuating  herself  sweetly  and  inoffensively  into  friendly 
relationship  with  nearly  every  desirable  young  man 
around  this  part  of  the  country.  And  stranger  still,  she 
accomplishes  this  long  before  half  the  other  girls  know 
her  victim's  name. 

One  afternoon,  during  my  first  week  in  school,  I 
remained  in  the  class-room  after  the  others  had  gone. 
As  I  was  talking  to  Professor  Vinne,  I  noticed  that  his 
eyes  were  continually  roving  over  my  right  shoulder.  At 
the  first  opportunity  I  looked  around  and  saw  a  girl 
standing  at  the  blackboard,  amusing  herself  by  sketching 
rude  caricatures.  She  would  chalk  a  few  lines  and  then 
stand  back  and  review  her  work,  her  face  puckered  up 
into  a  quizzical  grimace  and  her  head  bent  to  one  side 
in  a  mimic  pose  of  study  and  criticism.  Like  a  flash  it 
came  over  my  dense  intellect  that  she  was  waiting  for 
me  to  leave  the  room,  and  I  was  about  to  go  when 
Professor  Vinne  called  her  to  his  desk  and  introduced  us. 
That  is  the  story  of  my  first  aquantance  with  Miss  Boat- 
more.  A  few  minutes  after  that  I  passed  the  door  on 
the  way  to  my  room.  As  I  looked  in  I  saw  that  her  face 
was  upturned  to  his  and  aglow  with  the  most  radiant  and 
childlike  simplicity  that  I  ever  saw  spread  over  the  face 
of  a  nineteen-year-old  girl.  Of  course  such  a  girl  is 
excusable  in  her  love-intrigues  in  the  minds  of  most 
people  because  of  her  immature  age,  although  it  is  at  the 
same  time  acknowledged  that  she  is  two  or  three  years 
older  than  a  man  of  the  same  age." 

Sidney  Brooks  arose  and  went  to  the  window  as  if 


178  LUCKY  TEN  BAR 


his  spirit  was  greatly  perturbed  through  this  reminiscence. 

"Come  here,"  he  exclaimed  to  his  companion,  "and 
see  the  exhibition  of  a  story  I  was  about  to  tell  you." 

Otto  Hubbard  was  at  his  side  in  a  moment.  At  the 
point  where  the  path  led  out  of  the  corner  of  the 
campus  two  figures  could  be  seen  searching  for  something 
in  the  grass. 

"Our  interesting  heroine  has  the  cow-boy  in  tow. 
Watch  them  and  see  if  he  does  not  soon  find  her 
bracelet." 

Nana  Boatmore  and  Lucky  Ten  Bar  were  close  to 
gether  looking  diligently  through  a  small  space  in  the 
thick  campus  grass.  Her  brown  curls  were  sweeping  his 
face  and  her  right  hand  now  and  then  rested  on  his 
shoulder. 

"Last  Spring,"  continued  Sidney  Brooks,  "while  I 
was  at  the  height  of  my  reverence,  I  chanced  to  be  walking 
jealously  not  far  behind  her  and  a  new  man,  when  I  saw 
her  slip  the  bracelet  from  her  wrist  and  drop  it  to  the 
grass.  Instantly  she  missed  it  and  there  began  just  such 
a  search  as  we  now  see.  I  soon  came  up  and  having 
seen  it  fall  I  was  able  to  pick  it  at  once  from  the  grass 
and  hand  it  to  her  to  the  great  discomfiture  of  them  both. 
She  thanked  me  sweetly  and  I  walked  on  with  the  pupils 
of  both  my  eyes  considerably  enlarged." 

"There  he  has  found  it,"  exclaimed  Brooks.  "Am 
I  not  a  shrewd  prophet?" 

The  two  young  men  resumed  their  seats  as  the  objects 
of  their  observation  passed  on  out  of  view. 

"They  say,"  said  Otto  Hubbard  puffing  a  series  of 
smoke-rings  upward,  "that  the  cow-boy  has  lots  of 


HE     TURNED     INDOLENTLY.        LUCKY      TEN      BAR     STOOD    IN    THE    MIDDLE    OF 
THE   ROOM    A  SORRY    SIGHT    INDEED.  See  Page  182 


AT    COLLEGE. 


money  and  that  he  is  in  partnership  out  West  with 
Bradley  Van  Dusen.  That  is  enough  to  make  him  a 
great  catch  as  well  as  to  give  Nana  Boatmore  new 
experience  in  material." 

"Good  enough!"  exclaimed  Sidney  Brooks,  "we  will 
have  in  them  a  fine  intellectual  diversion  in  the  social 
economies  of  erotic  cupidity. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


A    COMEDY    IN    COAL    DUST. 


Lucky  Ten  Bar  enjoyed  college  life  hugely.  He  was 
literally  passing  through  college,  that  is  in  at  one  door 
and  out  at  the  other.  He  did  nothing  more  than  listen 
or  ask  .questions.  Nothing  more  was  expected  of  him. 
He  was  a  constant  and  priviledged  visitor  through  the 
class  rooms. 

The  holidays  passed  and  the  students  were  returning 
from  their  few  clays  of  recreative  home  life,  happy  to  be 
again  in  such  animating  surrounding  and  absorbed  in  the 
work  that  was  fitting  them  for  usefulness  among  their 
fellow- men.  Flakes  of  snow  hung  lightly  from  oak, 
evergreen  and  shrub  and  the  sun  was  gathering  in  toward 
sunset  its  first  genial  rays  vouchsafed  since  several  dark 
and  dismal  days.  The  paths  of  the  campus  were  overrun 
with  busy  feet,  hurrying  to  and  fro  to  prepare  for  the 


l8o  A  COMEDY  IN  COAL  DUST. 

evening  reception  which  was  to  herald  the  beginning  of 
the  season's  work. 

Inside  the  main  building  all  was  confusion.  The 
committee  of  girls  were  here,  there  and  everywhere, 
lugging  vases  and  glass  jars,  carrying  big  armfuls  of  roses 
and  lilies,  moving  the  chairs  about;  or,  perched  on 
tottering  step-ladders,  they  entwined  ribbons  of  ever 
greens  among  the  pictures. 

That  evening  the  reception  rooms  of  the  University 
were  bright  with  lights,  gorgeous  flowers,  and  the  beam 
ing  faces  of  pretty  girls  and  manly  youths.  The  students, 
with  parents  and  friends,  greeted  the  professors  as  they 
appeared,  and  comfortably  chatted  with  the  freedom 
which  the  formalities  of  the  class  room  do  not  permit. 
At  intervalls  the  buzz  of  conversation  ceased  and  they 
listened  to  the  short  speeches  in  praise  of  the  work  done 
or  of  the  tasks  to  be  accomplished  before  the  close  of  the 
college  year.  The  professors  and  most  of  the  visitors 
departed  early,  leaving  the  vivacious  students  to  seek 
their  affinities  at  will  and  to  pass  the  remainder  of  the 
evening  in  a  more  subdued  but  none  the  less  interesting 
way. 

"Nana  has  our  severe  friend,  Otto  Hubbard,  the 
stoic  in  charge  this  evening,"  whispered  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
to  his  companion  as,  about  to  depart,  they  took  seats  in 
a  deserted  corner  of  the  hall,  to  observe  a  little  longer 
the  roomful  of  animated  young  men  and  women. 

"That  signifies  that  he  is  still  practicing,"  replied 
Sidney  Brooks. 

"Practicing  what?"  questioned  Lucky  Ten  Bar. 

"Self-control,    the   most   valuable   acquisition   in  the 


A  COMEDY  IN  COAL  DUST.  l8l 

progress  of  life.  He  understands  her  and  so  takes  ad 
vantage  of  the  opportunity  to  steele  himself  against  the 
pleasing  dalliance  so  much  fostered  as  a  feminine  grace 
and  virtue." 

As  they  neared  the  end  of  the  hall,  Sidney  Brooks 
remembered  that  he  had  left  a  book  in  one  of  the  class 
rooms  on  the  upper  floor;  and,  desiring  to  use  it  next 
morning  at  his  room,  he  asked  Lucky  Ten  Bar  to  wait 
for  him  while  he  went  for  it.  He  hurried  up  the  broad 
stairway  and  in  a  few  minutes  came  bounding  back  two 
steps  at  a  time,  but  Lucky  Ten  Bar  had  disappeared. 
He  looked  anxiously  into  the  different  rooms  which 
opened  into  the  halway,  but  his  room-mate  could  not  be 
found.  In  no  very  excellent  temper  Brooks  went  on  to 
their  rooms  alone. 

For  half  an  hour  he  sat,  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of 
smoke  and  sullenly  contemplating  the  speech  with  which 
he  would  greet  his  unreliable  friend.  He  was  busy 
studying  the  wisdom  of  locking  the  door  and  causing 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  to  make  his  entrance  through  the  transom, 
when  there  was  a  loud  slam  of  the  front  door  below  and 
he  heard  the  hurrying  footsteps  of  that  dilatory  young 
gentleman  as  he  came  up  the  stairs. 

Sidney  Brooks,  recollecting  the  greeting  he  meant  to 
deliver,  sat  stolidly  by  the  window,  his  feet  propped  up 
on  the  bureau  and  his  back  turned  coldly  toward  the 
tardy  Ten  Bar.  As  his  companion  came  in,  Brooks  did 
not  look  around,  but  said  stiffly,  "Lucky  Ten  Bar,  I 
have  a  mighty  poor  opinion  of  a  man — 

A  choking,  gasping  chuckle  behind   him  was  an  un- 


1 82  A    COMEDY    IN    COAL    DUST. 

looked  for  interruption.  He  turned  indolently.  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  a  sorry  sight 
indeed.  His  face  was  streaked  with  a  coating  of  black 
which  made  him  almost  unrecognizable;  his  soiled  clothing 
was  torn  and  disordered  and  his  hat  but  a  crushed 
remnant  of  former  uprightness.  Brooks,  for  once,  was 
too  astonished  to  speak. 

"That's  all  right,  my  friend,  that's  all  right,"  said 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  hastily.  "Don't  say  a  word.  Don't  heap 
any  more  coals  on  my  head;  I've  had  about  all  I  can 
stand." 

"I  must  say,"  ejaculaded  Brooks,  eyeing  his  room 
mate  with  amazement,  "that  you  are  the  toughest  looking 
coal-heaver  it  has  ever  been  my  fortune  to  meet.  For 
heaven's  sake  go  and  put  yourself  to  soak.  What  hap 
pened  to  you  anyway?  Did  you  fall  down  a  chimney  or 
have  you  been  using  yourself  for  a  smoke-consumer?" 

"If  you  will  wait  a  moment,  I'll  tell  you"  answered 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  who,  grinning  broadly,  was  diving  for 
soap  and  towels  and  distributing  his  sooty  garments  over 
the  floor.  "You've  noticed,  haven  t  you,  that  narrow 
door  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  where  you  left  me  to  go 
after  your  book?  Well,  I  saw  that  it  was  partly  open; 
and,  not  knowing  how  long  you  would  be  gone,  I  slid 
inside  and  sat  down  on  an  old  stool  that  was  there.  The 
place  is  in  a  deep  shadow  and,  as  no-one  could  see  me, 
I  was  rather  enjoying  the  novelty  of  the  thing — observing 
the  students  passing  by — when  who  should  stroll  up  to 
the  closet  door  but  our  stoical  friend,  Otto  Hubbard, 
freed  it  seems  from  the  severe  training  of  the  evening. 
As  softly  as  I  could,  I  left  my  sect  and  stepped  back  a 


A  COMEDY  IN  COAL  DUST.  183 


pace  or  two,  not  caring  to  arouse  his  curiosity  at  my 
being  there,  and  expecting  him  to  leave  soon. 

"I  discovered  that  the  closet  was  quite  a  large  one, 
half  of  it  being  a  bin  of  soft  coal  and  the  rest  well  filled 
with  discarded  furniture.  You  can  imagine  my  surprise 
when  our  severe  friend,  appearing  perfectly  familiar  with 
the  place,  came  inside  and  sat  down  on  the  stool  I  had 
just  vacated.  I  was  certain  for  awhile  that  he  knew  I 
was  there  and  had  done  all  this  for  a  joke  on  me,  but  at 
last  I  concluded  otherwise.  I  stood  there  as  quiet  as  a 
statue,  but  in  a  torment  of  fear  lest  I  should  move  and 
start  the  coal  to  sliding  or  some  of  the  piled-up  furniture 
into  an  avalanche.  My  companion  in  the  closet  left  the 
door  open  a  trifle,  and,  being  directly  behind  him,  I 
could  see  the  people  that  went  by  in  the  hall.  Of  course 
I  saw  you  go  by  hunting  for  me  but  I  was  powerless  to 
notify  you  of  my  predicament.  It  was  quite  amusing,  I 
can  assure  you,  to  watch  the  spoony  ones,  tickling  one 
another's  heartstrings  with  their  honeyed  tones  and  silly 
smiles.  It  was  truly  an  interesting  point  from  which  to 
observe  the  platonic  friendships  engendered  where  the 
social  is  mingled  with  the  scientific,  as  you  call  it,  but  I 
was  not  in  a  position  to  enjoy  it  as  well  as  the  subject 
deserved. 

"Except  for  a  few  disaproving  grunts, "  Lucky  Ten 
Bar  continued,  "Otto  Hubbard  was  silent.  Quite  sud 
denly  he  became  very  attentive.  By  stretching  my  neck 
a  trifle  farther  I  saw  the  cause  of  the  change.  Nana 
Boatmore  was  strolling  down  the  hall,  arm  in  arm  with 
that  new  yellow-headed  swell  whose  high  collars  tickles 
his  ears  and  cut  holes  in  his  chin.  Evidently  they  were 


184  A  COMEDY  IN  COAL  DUST. 

going  up  to  the  floor  above.  Just  before  the  door  and 
not  four  feet  away  from  my  prison-cell,  they  stopped. 
He  bent  his  head  close  to  hers  and  swept  his  smartly- 
curled  mustache  over  her  cheek.  She  glanced  up  with  a 
look  of  feigned  injury  which  soon  turned  to  one  of 
childish  confidence  and  baby  trustfulness.  At  that  he 
said:  "Really,  aren't  you  angry?  I  expected  you  to  be, 
don't  you  know!  You're  too  sweet  and  bright  a  girl  not 
to  rebel  against  make-believes."  I  heard  them  both 
laugh  as  they  went  on  up  the  stairs. 

Suddenly  remembering  Otto  Hubbard,  I  looked  and 
found  that  he  had  buried  his  face  in  his  hands.  His 
body  was  swaying  to  and  fro  and  I  heard  him  mutter 
bitterly:  "Who  is  this  that  cometh  out  of  the  wilderness 
like  pillars  of  smoke,  perfumed  with  myrrh  and  frank 
incense,-  with  all  the  powders  ot  the  merchant?"  Presently 
Nana  Boatrnore  came  back.  This  time  she  was  with  a 
girl  friend,  and  her  head  was  crowned  with  Mr.  Grant 
Wolfer's  high  silk  hat.  Otto  Hubbard  was  once  more 
all  attention,  but  I  was  too  cramped  in  my  small  space 
and  was  so  angry  over  my  absurd  situation,  that  I  had 
not  the  energy  to  look  at  them.  By  the  giggles  and 
shuffling  of  feet  I  knew  that  Nana  was  doing  her  favorite 
skirt-dance.  That  soon  ceased,  however,  and  I  heard  her 
say,  in  a  fervent  voice  which  was  an  excellent  imitation  of 
the  talk  of  the  swell  youth  who  had  been  with  her  a  few 
moments  before.  'Oh  you  angel  girl!  I  adore  the  very 
ground  your  precious  little  feet  walk  upon!'  The  silk  hat 
was  perched  upon  the  back  of  her  bead,  and,  in  a  mimic 
pose  of  love-making,  she  pressed  the  other  girl's  hand 
to  her  heart.  The  next  instant  she  had  tipped  the  hat 


A    COMEDY    IN    COAL    DUST.  185 

over  her  forhead,  and,  in  dismal  tones  that  were  pain 
fully  like  the  vwiee  ©f  Otto  Hubbard  she  said  severely. 
'My  friend,  my  dear  friend,  life  is  short;  time  is  precious. 
Seize  the  golden  moments  as  they  fly.'  The  other  girl 
exclaimed,  laughingly:  'Oh,  Nana,  Nana,  what  a 
splendid  actress  you  are!" 

'  'That  was  the  last  straw.  My  companion  in  misery 
raised  his  eyes  heavenward,  opened  his  mouth  and  sighed 
dismally.  The  girls,  silenced  with  fright  at  the  moan 
from  the  closet,  looked  at  each  other  in  dismay.  Nana 
whispered  hoarsely.  'Mercy,  what  was  that?  It  sounded 
like  a  death  groan!'  They  listened  intently  and  hearing 
nothing  more  grew  braver.  They  started  cautiously  to 
ward  the  closet  door.  As  my  amusing  friend  saw  them 
coming  to  investigate,  he  tried  to  move  farther  back  into 
the  shadow,  but  he  failed  to  lift  the  stool  sufficiently 
from  the  floor;  and,  as  it  moved,  it  let  out  the  most  un 
earthly  shriek  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to  hear.  Brooks, 
I  wish  you  could  have  seen  those  two  girls  run  and  heard 
them  yell!  Girls  from  the  other  rooms  swarmed  out  into 
the  hall,  but  Nana  cried.  'Run,  run,  there's  a  horrible 
robber  in  the  closet!'  so  back  they  all  went  pellmell, 
screaming  seven  ways  for  Sunday,  and  tumbling  over 
themselves  and  one  another  like  a  lot  of  ninepins.  At  the 
first  chance  Hubbard  slipped  out  unseen,  but  I  did  not 
have  time.  The  crowd,  re-enforced  by  all  the  young 
men  around,  came  tearing  down  the  hall.  I  can  tell  you 
that  matters  were  getting  rather  uncomfortable  for  me. 
I  tried  to  go  farther  back  into  the  closet  but  at  every 
move  something  creaked  or  fell  and  I  finally  tumbled 
headlong  into  the  coal-bin,  making  a  terrific  racket.  The 


1 86  A    COMEDY    IN    COAL    DUST. 


door  flew  open  and  half  a  dozen  young  fellows  rushed  in 
and  grabbed  my  feet.  I  kicked  and  squirmed  with  such 
success  that  they  were  soon  all  in  a  heap  with  me  in  the 
bin.  If  you  think  I  look  bad  you  ought  to  see  them.  In 
the  general  hubbub  that  followed,  I  managed  to  escape — 
a  sooty  but  unrecognizable  fugitive." 

"That  explanation  satisfys  me,"  said  Sidney  Brooks, 
"both  as  to  your  disappearance  and  your  appearance, 
but  it  only  teaches  us  how  deceithful  are  appearances. 
Now  who  could  believe  that  the  cynical  Hubbard,  know 
ing  her  as  he  does  and  analyzing  her  treacherous  character 
as  he  has,  should  at  the  same  time  be  groaningly  gone 
on  her?  It  is  astounding." 

Sidney  Brooks  pushed  his  fingers  through  his  hair  till 
it  stood  up  like  porcupine  quills  and  then  enshrouded  his 
head  in  the  fumes  of  a  new  cigar. 

Meanwhile  Lucky  Ten  Bar  labored  with  the  ebony 
complexion  imparted  to  him  by  the  coal  dust. 

"My  friend,  love  is  like  sorrow."  continued  Sidney 
Brooks  in  a  burst  of  philosophy.  "It  is  killing  if  it  is 
not  told;  and  like  sorrow  it  is  often  eased  in  the  telling. 
Several  of  the  young  woman's  admirers  have  made  me 
their  confidante  and  I  have  been  a  wholesome  sympa 
thizer  without  expressing  my  sentiments.  But  I  have 
often  inwardly  exclaimed-  'Oh,  Innocence,  Innocence! 
How  many  lovers  are  endungeoned  in  Thy  name.'  One 
victim  has  botany  for  a  fad  and  she  is  enraptured  with 
his  descriptions  of  flowers.  Another  delights  in 
astronomy:  she  is  entranced  with  the  glory  of  the  stars. 
A  third  is  a  bookworm  who  lives  for  the  study  of  history: 


A  COMEDY  IN  COAL  DUST.  l8/ 

she  is  thrilled  with  the  achievements  of  man.  Still  an 
other  has  such  faith  in  her  that  he  believes  her  help  as 
his  wife  would  make  him  a  bishop  in  his  church.  I 
remember  thinking  one  time  what  an  inspiration  she 
would  be  to  me  when  I  should  get  control  of  my  father's 
bicycle  business.  She  has  often  sung  very  sweetly  to  me 
the  song  of  the  bicycle  built  for  two." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  smiled  through  his  soapsuds.  Sidney 
Brooks  saw  his  smile  and  was  nettled. 

"I'll  bet,"  he  continued  ironically,  "that  she  has 
gone  into  ecstacies  over  your  description  of  ranch  life 
and  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  your  little  lambs  and 
calves." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  too  busy  in  the  battle  between 
suds  and  coal-dust  to  reply. 

"How  did  you  feel  last  fall, "continued  Sidney  Brooks 
rather  desperately,  "when  you  were  helping  her  find  her 
bracelet  lost  in  the  grass  at  the  corner  of  the  campus?" 

"Feel,"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar,"  I  didn't  feel  at 
all.  I  just  swished  around  to  gratify  her.  I  knew  where 
it  was  all  the  time  for  I  saw  her  drop  it" 

Sidney  Brooks  collapsed  into  the  dismal  silence  of 
retrospection. 


1 88  LUCKY  TEN  UAk's  EDUCATION. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 


LUCKY    TEN    BAR  S    EDUCATION. 


"Am  I  educated?"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bargrasping 
his  friends  hand  as  Bradley  Van  Dusen  came  at  the  close 
of  the  college  year  to  take  the  unsophisticated  Westerner 
into  the  broader  fields  of  New  York  society.  "Well,  I 
should  say  that  I  am. " 

"In  what  branch  of  learning  have  you  made  the 
greatest  progress?"  inquired  his  friend.  "I  suppose  you 
have  taken  the  most  interest  in  history  or  literature. 

"Yes,"  replied  Lucky  Ten  Bar  looking  thoughtfully, 
"1  believe  I  did  learn  about  Cromwell  knocking  out  the 
pilgrims  and  that  Jonah  wrote  a  great  book  about  Sinbad 
the  sailor,  but  I  think  I  have  really  been  spending  most 
of  my  time  on  the  arts." 

"Arts!"  exclaimed  Van  Dusen  in  astonishment.  "You 
interested  in  arts?  What  arts?" 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  hesitated. 

"Out  with  it,"  said  his  friend,    "what  arts?" 

"I  don't  know  any  name  for  it,"  he  answered  sheep 
ishly.  "Perhaps  you  might  call  it  the  feminine  arts." 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  Van  Dusen  laughing,  "that's 
different.  "Did  you  find  the  study  difficult?" 

"I'd  like  to  stay  here  another  year  and  complete  the 
entire  course,"  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar  enthusiastically. 

Van   Dusen   appeciated   his  enthusiasm.      "Was  the 


SHE     WOULD     TAKE     HIM     INTO    THE    OFFICE,    CLOSE    THE    DOOR,    WHERE    UN 
DISTURBED  SHE  COULD    TALK    TO    HIM    ABOUT     HIS    WELFARE See    Page  IQI 


LUCKY  TEN  BAR'S  EDUCATION.  189 


class  in  which  you  studied  large,  and  were  your  experi 
ments  very  extensive?"  he  asked. 

"Only  two  of  us  in  the  class,"  answered  Lucky  Ten 
Bar,  "and  it  was  conducted  mostly  on  the  principles  of 
self  culture. " 

"You  see  it  was  this  way,"  he  continued.  "I  met 
a  dudish  young  fellow  named  Grant  Wolfer  soon  after 
you  went  away,  who  was  also  an  irregular  student.  He 
was  having  all  kinds  of  experiences  and  so  in  mutual 
sympathy  we  formed  a  class  which  met  alternately  in 
each  other's  rooms  to  compare  notes  and  give  mutual 
instruction.  I  froze  to  him  the  first  time  he  called 
on  me." 

"Do  you  know,  Mr.  Brown,"  he  said  soon  after  we 
became  acquainted,  "that  this  is  an  abominably  dull 
institution.  Just  look  at  how  much  I  have  to  stand  from 
the  sisters.  I  wish  to  the  devil  I  could  be  good  just  to 
please  them  but  I  swear  it  is  the  first  thing  I  ever  tried 
to  do  and  could  not.  Once  I  rode  five  miles  with  a 
Bishop.  He  had  come  to  stay  over  night  with  us  in  the 
hope  of  getting  a  few  thousand  out  of  father  for  some 
endowment  fund  but  the  old  man  was  too  foxy  to  buy 
grace  at  such  figures.  As  I  was  saying,  I  drove  him  five 
miles  to  the  station  and  when  I  took  leave  of  him  he 
said,  God  bless  you  my  noble  young  man.  I  see  that 
you  are  pious  and  studious.  Some  day  you  will  be  a 
shining  light  in  the  church.  Now,  I  call  that  a  fine 
piece  of  work  on  rny  part.  If  I  could  be  so  pious  and 
studious  during  that  five  miles,  why  can't  I  be  so  here 
for  a  few  months.  I  tell  you  this  place  is  worse  than  a 
farm.  To  be  cooped  up  here  so  long  with  so  many 


LUCKY   TEN    BAR'S    EDUCATION. 


piously  interested  girls  is  straining  my  nerves  to 
exhaustion.  They  are  not  half  so  charming  in  their 
frolicsome  ways  as  the  innocent  glossy  calves  and  the 
pretty  little  pigs  at  home.  The  farm  innocents  frisk  fof 
themselves  because  it  is  their  nature  to,  but  these  girl? 
frisk  for  others  for  the  same  reason  I  suppose.  I  am  a 
great  lover  of  nature." 

"Mr.  Brown,"  he  continued,  "what  is  the  use  of 
geometry,  geology  and  chemistry?  I  am  heartily  sick  of 
them.  They  are  no  good  on  a  farm  or  in  a  parlor.  The 
farm  is  my  business  and  the  parlor  is  my  pleasure,  there 
fore  three  of  my  present  studies  are  time  wasted.  I  have 
concluded  to  drop  them  and  take  up  only  History, 
English  and  music.  You  see  the  fitness  of  them.  History 
in  order  to  understand  the  newspapers,  English  to  be 
more  expressive  to  the  ladies,  and  music  to  entertain 
them.  The  farm  can  take  care  of  itself." 

'  'Look  at  that  old  codger  who  teaches  the  ancient 
languages.  He  is  as  out  of  date  as  the  people  whose 
lingo  he  is  trying  to  teach.  That  dried  up  specimen 
who  teaches  the  sciences  never  had  an  idea  higher  than 
the  stench  of  his  chemicals.  The  wheezy  broken  down 
preacher  who  drills  the  mathematics  cannot  think  out 
side  of  a  circle,  his  mind  never  crossed  a  line  or  struck  a 
tangent  with  anything  practical.  What  benefit  are  they 
all  to  me?  I  had  some  respect  for  education  when  I 
came  here  but  where  is  it  now.  I  can  make  money 
faster  than  any  man  in  this  college,  except  yourself  of 
course,  and  I  know  more  about  women  than  this  entire 
institution.  What  more  does  a  man  want.  I  can  get 
no  benefit  here.  I  have  a  notion  to  go  home  next  week. 


LUCKY    TEN    BARS    EDUCATION. 


"What  would  Ida  do?"  I  asked  with  an  insinuating 
smile.  Ida  was  about  ten  years  older  than  he  and  was 
incessant  in  her  efforts  to  have  him  attend  prayer 
meeting  and  be  good. 

She  watched  him  carefully  so  that  he  could  do  no 
wrong,  she  would  take  him  into  the  office,  close  the  door, 
where  undisturbed  she  could  talk  to  him  about  his  wel 
fare,  and  there  was  so  much  occuring  wrong.  When  he 
did  not  wish  to  go  to  church,  she  stayed  at  home  with 
him  that  she  might  direct  his  mind  heavenwards.  She 
knelt  by  his  side  as  he  lay  on  the  sofa  and  talked  to  him 
so  wisely  about  his  future.  She  laid  her  head  on  his 
bosom  and  prayed  for  his  soul.  They  were  earnest 
prayers.  She  was  successfull  with  him  only  for  the  time 
being  and  so  her  devoted  labors  continued. 

He  looked  at  me  searchingly  and  suspiciously  a  mo 
ment  when  I  sprang  the  question  about  Ida  and  then 
smiled. 

"O  she  knows  where  I  live.  She  spends  a  week  at 
our  house  every  once  in  a  while." 

"But  the  other  girls?"  I  asked  with  quizical  humor. 

"Sure,"  he  replied  brightening,  "there  you  interest 
me.  There  are  some  sweet  girls  here  whose  congenial 
association  I  shall  sadly  miss.  But  such  is  life,"  he 
added  with  a  sigh.  "We  live  and  love  and  lose  and  die. 
That  is  why  there  is  no  sense  in  any  pursuit  but  that  of 
money  and  affection.  Ida  is  all  right  but  she  is  so  con- 
foundely  religious.  If  she  did  not  apply  it  to  me  so 
sweetly  I  would  soon  run  away  to  get  out  of  it.  But  it 
is  all  right,"  he  said  reflectively. 

"There    is    Meta   and   Fanny    and   Julia,    but  I  have 


LUCKY    TEN    BARS    EDUCATION. 


exhausted  their  art,  and  in  the  language  of  Job,  to  quote 
our  reverend  doctor,  they  make  me  weary." 

I  was  surprised  to  notice  that  he  had  not  mentioned 
Nana,  the  pearl  and  pink  of  them  all.  So  I  said,  'and 
Nana,  what  of  her?' 

He  put  out  his  left  hand  with  a  gesture  of  fine  de 
preciation,  shrugged  his  shoulders  like  a  Mexican  I  met 
last  year,  screwed  up  his  face  like  a  ferret  scenting  a  rat, 
and  said.  "Suppose  we  avoid  wicked  thoughts  by  keep 
ing  her  out  of  our  rninds  as  much  as  possible.  You  know 
that  some  preacher's  daughters  are  spoiled  under  the 
family  training  necessary  for  attaining  and  holding  the 
appreciation  of  the  flock.  I  have  done  some  class  and 
laboratory  work  in  the  school  of  experience  and  I  have 
also  had  the  scarlet  fever  in  my  early  youth.  Therefore 
you  can  see  why  I  take  only  a  passing  interest  in  the 
woman." 

That  gave  me  an  idea  and  I  suggested  at  once  that 
we  form  a  self-culture  class  devoted  to  the  department  of 
self-defence  in  the  feminine  arts,  and  we  did. " 

"It  has  been  a  success"  added  Lucky  Ten  Bar  in  all 
seriousness,  "and  I  am  sure  that  if  I  could  stay  here  an 
other  year  I  would  be  qualified  to  take  any  position  you 
could  show  me  in  the  society  of  New  York.  To  be  sure 
I  was  compelled  to  buy  a  good  many  tubs  of  ice  cream 
and  pay  out  considerable  more  for  cake  and  candy,  but 
they  were  only  what  you  call  incidentals.  Several  times 
we  had  some  excitement  in  helping  the  girls  out  of 
difficulties  with  the  faculty,  and  they  nearly  sent  the 
matron  of  the  dormatory  to  the  insane  asylum,  but  just 
think  of  the  education.  It  was  irlorious. " 


HE   PICTURED   IN    DRAMATIC   FRENZY   THE    MESMERIZING   OF   THE  CZAR. 

See  Page  198 


LUCKY  TEN  BAR'S  EDUCATION.          193 

Bradley  Van  Dusen  rubbed  his  temples  a  moment 
and  then  he  exclaimed.  '  'So  you  found  all  this  experience 
in  a  staid,  strict,  old  church  school !  Well,  that  is  re 
freshing  information.  I  think  you  need  removing  to  a 
healthier  atmosphere." 

"For  the  past  year,"  he  continued  after  a  moment's 
pause,  "I  have  been  doing  some  hustling  around  for  an 
uncle  of  of  mine  who  is  publishing  books  in  New  York. 
Here  is  his  card.  Suppose  you  arrive  there  next  Monday 
morning  and  I  will  see  if  I  can't  arrange  for  a  desirable 
change  in  the  experience  that  is  making  up  your  educa 
tion  preparatory  to  your  graduation  in  New  York  society. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


LUCKY  TEN  BAR  S  EXPERIENCE  AS  EDITOR. 


Lucky  Ten  Bar  at  the  appointed  time,  appeared  at 
the  publishiug  house  of  Bradley  Van  Dusen's  uncle  and 
was  ushered  into  the  office. 

"William,  my  boy,"  said  his  friend,  "my  uncle  has 
gone  away  on  his  vacation,  I've  got  to  stay  here  till  he 
returns  and  be  his  manuscript  rejecter,  as  well  as  attend 
to  a  lot  of  other  business.  I  can't  get  out  with  you  into 
society  until  my  uncle  returns.  Perhaps  you  are  willing 
to  turn  editor  and  relieve  me  of  some  of  the  work.  You 
can  reject  manuscript  and  turn  away  authors  doubtless 
just  as  pleasantly  and  serenly  as  I." 


IQ4  LUCKY  TEN  BAR 


Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  delighted  and  took  his  place  at 
the  editor's  desk. 

"Here  is  a  manuscript  from  a  country  school  girl," 
said  Van  Dusen  handing  him  a  bulky  package.  "She 
wants  to  raise  the  mortgage  on  her  father's  house  and  she 
may  be  an  undiscovered  genius.  Read  it  and  tell  me  if 
you  think  we  should  invest  a  thousand  dallars  in  getting 
out  an  edition.  I  may  not  see  you  for  several  days,  I 
will  bo  so  busy,  but  just  use  good  broncho-sense,  turn 
down  the  authors  gently,  reject  manuscripts  sadly  but 
heroically,  and  I  guess  you  will  come  out  all  right.  If 
you  get  too  hard  pressed,  of  course  call  on  me,  otherwise 
when  we  get  out  of  this,  I  want  you  to  tell  me  what 
kind  of  a  time  you  have  had." 

So  Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  editor.  He  took  up  the 
school  girl's  manuscript.  It  was  entitled  "Ups  and 
Downs".  The  first  chapter  was  called  "Sweet  surprise". 

He  began  to  read. 

"The  soft  rays  of  the  setting  sun  melted  in  tender 
threads  through  the  creeping  foliage  upon  a  lovely  scene. 
Marguerite  Gwendolin  looked  slily  out  from  under  her 
long  brown  lashes.  Cyril  Montpelier  bent  lovingly  over 
her  and  dropped  the  roses  in  her  lap  which  he  had  got 
for  her  with  such  bravery  from  the  mountain  side. 
'Sweet'  he  began  slowly  and  painfully,  'have  I  not 
earned  a  little  reward  from  those  witching  lips  and 
smiling  eyes?'  'You  have  she  cried  in  an  ecstasy  of  delight.' 
The  next  instant  she  was  folded  in  his  arms.  A  little 
bird  twittered  in  the  bough  over  their  heads  and  a  leaf 
rustled  softly  at  their  feet. " 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  shuddered.      I  can't  recommend  that 


AS    EDITOR.  195 


he  exclaimed  emphatically.  It's  too  realistic.  I  believe 
in  romance  Whew!  if  only  some  of  these  authoresses 
would  just  drop  in  to  see  me! 

But  perhaps  his  editorial  experience  can  be  better 
appreciated  as  he  afterward  told  the  story  to  Mr.  Van 
Dusen. 

"That  first  manuscript  you  gave  me,"  he  exclaimed 
to  his  friend  on  the  inquiry  as  to  how  he  had  fared, 
"gave  me  a  considerable  hankering  to  see  one  of  the 
lovely  creatures  who  could  write  so  heavenly.  But  my 
first  real  flutter  came  when  a  call  boy  opened  my  door 
and  said,  "Two  ladies  to  see  you,  sir." 

My  politest  demeanor  brightened  the  room  as  they 
entered.  But  the  shine  was  taken  out  of  my  suaveness 
when  an  uncouth,  one-eyed  dame  and  her  unsightly 
daughter  took  the  chair  I  offered. 

"What  can  I  do  for  you,"  I  said  in  a  tone  of  lost 
confidence  and  utter  discouragement. 

In  answer  the  mother  took  from  her  daughter's  hand  a 
package  and  holding  it  tightly  said,  "daughter  has 
written  a  novel  and  we  didn't  know  whether  to  give  you 
the  first  chance  at  it  or  not.  But  if  you  can  advertise  it 
the  way  we  want  it  done  we  will  leave  it  with  you  on  a 
contract  for  salary." 

"Our  friends  in  Clay  County  will  buy  two  hundred 
copies  at  least.  We  are  known  from  one  end  of  the 
state-road  to  the  other,  and  the  plot  and  characters  of 
the  story  is  laid  right  there  where  everybody  knows 
about  it  and  is  interested  in  it.  Expectation  is  running 
high  there  already.  If  you  bring  it  out  with  the  right 
kind  of  pictures  it  will  be  the  talk  of  the  hull  country." 


196  LUCKY    TEN    BAR 


I  had  laid  it  down  as  one  of  my  principles  of  conduct 
that  I  would  never  hurt  a  woman's  feelings,  but  what 
could  I  do  when  she  said  that  her  daughter  had  given  up 
society  and  had  done  nothing  else  for  a  year.  It  looked 
downright  cruel  to  be  unkind  to  such  sacrifice  and  labor. 

"Has  it  plenty  of  love  and  marriage  in  it?"  I  asked 
hoping  to  find  some  excuse. 

"O  yes,"  cried  the  girl  enthusiastically,  "that  is  my 
strong  point  and  I  have  a  glorious  scene  where  the  baby 
dies. " 

"Ladies,"  I  said  overcome  with  emotion,  "it  would 
unnerve  me  to  prepare  such  a  touching  story  for  the 
press.  In  due  regard  for  my  nervous  system  I  will  have 
to  decline  the  great  opportunity  you  offer.  Doubtless, 
if  you  return  here  next  week  you  will  find  that  I  have 
been  discharged.  If  so,  you  will  know  the  cause.  The 
house  can  not  stand  many  such  losses  as  I  will  now  be 
inflating  on  them.  I  entreat  you  to  leave  me  alone  in 
my  weakness." 

To  my  great  gratitude  they  straightway  left  me  alone. 

But  hardly  had  I  recovered  when  there  came  a  brisk 
knock  at  my  door.  I  arose  to  admit  my  visitor  but  the 
door  flew  open  and  a  man  like  a  Norse  sea-king  ushered 
himself  unceremoniously  in  and  took  the  nearest  chair 
without  a  word. 

I  looked  at  him  sharply  and  he  laid  some  circulars 
on  my  desk  showing  that  he  was  the  author  and  trans 
lator  of  many  books,  a  Shakesperean  tragedian,  a 
musician,  lecturer  and  teacher.  Altogether  his  formidable 
array  of  talent  was  somewhat  overaweing. 


AS    EDITOR. 


"Are  we  alone  so  that  none  can  hear?"  were  his  first 
words  in  a  stage  whisper. 

"We  are,"  I  replied. 

"Then  let  me  intrust  you  with  an  important  secret." 

The  only  thing  that  kept  up  my  courage  before  this 
powerful  man  was  that  my  office  chair  was  at  least  six 
inches  higher  than  the  chair  on  which  he  sat  and  my 
head  was  on  a  level  with  his. 

I  am  an  anarchist,"  he  said  as  his  shoulders  were 
perceptibly  thrust  further  back  and  his  head  held  so  much 
more  erect  that  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  rise  and  give 
my  chair  several  turns  in  order  to  be  equal  in  stature  to 
him. 

"I  have  a  book  here  that  points  out  the  way  for  the 
entire  earth  to  be  made  a  republic  and  under  one  govern 
ment  before  the  snow  flies  again.  I  have  come  here 
from  Sweden  selecting  this  place  as  the  basis  of  my 
promulgation.  The  publisher  that  takes  this  manuscript 
will  be  enriched.  Of  course  it  will  be  interdicted  in 
monarchial  contries  but  when  the  marvelous  revolution 
is  established  and  the  great  one-government  of  the  world 
is  comfirmed  then  you  will  come  into  your  reward." 

"Here  was  a  case  for  my  utmost  tact.  How  could  I 
deny  him  and  not  offend  him?  Brilliant  ideas  were  at  a 
discount.  In  my  frantic  search  for  some  excuse  I 
scarcely  heard  the  outline  of  his  story.  I  dimly  divined 
that  kings  and  queens  were  to  be  captured  by  a  secret 
organization.  A  universal  peace  committee  was  to  com 
mand  the  standing  armies  of  all  countries  to  be 
disbanded  and  the  navies  sunk,  except  one  flying  squadron, 
and  such  a  land  force  in  each  county  as  was  necessary 


198  LUCKY    TEN    BAR 


to  enforce  the  dicision  of  the  council  of  supreme  arbitra 
tion,  to  be  located  in  London.  His  book  gave  the  secret 
of  an  explosive,  one  ounce  of  which  dropped  byabaloon 
or  airship  at  any  spot  would  instantly  kill  every  living 
creature  within  the  radius  of  a  mile.  An  electric  air 
ship  capable  of  traveling  to  any  spot  on  earth  in  a  few 
hours  would  convey  the  executive  decisions  of  the 
arbitration  committee  to  the  center  of  disturbance  and 
quell  by  force  every  opposition  to  the  decision  of  the 
great  peace  committee,  if  the  offorts  of  the  small  land 
force  or  the  menace  of  the  flying  squadron  failed  to  be 
of  sufficient  moral  force  or  to  reach  the  trouble  in  time. 

It  took  two  or  three  more  upward  turns  of  my  chair 
to  keep  my  courage  on  a  level  with  the  situation.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  he  would  never  finish  and  I  became 
exasperated,  as  now  and  then  a  flake  of  froth  from  his 
flying  tongue  sped  to  my  cheek  before  his  powerful 
though  suppressed  enunciation.  He  paused  a  moment 
to  note  the  effect  on  me  as  he  pictured  in  dramatic  frenzy 
the  mesmerizing  of  the  Czar  of  Ressia  and  the  assumption 
of  control  over  the  government  by  the  forces  of  the 
Universal  Peace  Committee. 

I  saw  my  only  chance.  In  well  feigned  horror  I 
cried. 

"My  God  man,  the  blackest  revolution  must  reign 
over  mankind  before  the  dawn  of  such  a  brilliant  day. 
Business  will  be  paralyzed,  every  man,  woman  and  child 
able  to  read  will  stop  work  at  once  to  read  and  discuss 
your  book.  The  paper  mills  can  not  furnish  the  paper, 
the  presses  cannot  print  the  sheets  fast  enough,  and  the 
binderies  will  be  unable  to  put  them  together.  The 


AS    EDITOR.  199 


frantic  populace  will  loot  the  book  stores  in  searches  for 
copies  of  this  book,  they  will  despoil  the  binderies  for 
the  unbound  pages;  they  will  snatch  the  sheets  from  the 
presses,  they  will  tear  the  forms  from  the  machines  in 
order  to  read  from  the  types.  Mad  with  desire  for  the 
new  revelation  they  will  rush  to  this  office  demand  the 
original  copy  and  dividing  it  into  parts  will  give  these  to 
readers  in  order  more  quickly  to  convey  its  blessed  news 
to  the  people!" 

"In  heavens  name!"  I  cried  growing  still  more  excited 
as  I  saw  he  was  about  to  speak  in  my  pause  for  breath, 
"don't  spring  this  on  the  world  suddenly.  I  have  not 
the  courage  to  make  this  house  the  storm  center  of  such 
a  cataclysm  of  life,  such  a  maelstrom  of  human  impulse 
and  passion  as  this  sudden  ushering  in  of  universal 
human  freedom." 

Then  I  collapsed  in  my  chair.  He  saw  my  courage 
was  low.  I  was  saved.  I  was  not  the  man  to  share  in 
his  immortal  deification  of  mankind.  He  knew  that  it 
took  courage  to  publish  his  book.  I  had  it  not.  He 
arose  with  a  look  of  pity  in  his  eyes,  his  tall,  broad  form 
towered  above  me  like  a  colossus.  I  did  not  speak.  He 
gathered  up  the  circulars  that  lay  on  my  desk  testifying 
to  his  versatile  greatness  and  left  my  presence  forever. 
With  an  impatient  jerk  I  brought  my  chair  to  its  normal 
level  and  nerved  myself  for  the  next." 

"I  had  not  long  to  wait.  There  was  a  light  tap  at 
the  door,  surely  this  time  a  feminine  tap." 

"I  opened  the  door  expectantly  and  bade  the  visitor 
enter.  I  confess  that  I  was  surprised.  This  was  what 
you  call  a  dude.  I  did  not  know  that  they  wrote  novels. 


2OO  LUCKY    TEN    BAR 


But  if  a  dude   were   to   write    a    novel   what   kind  of  one 
would  he  write?   I  was  interested. 

"What  can  I  do  for  you?"  I  asked. 

He  bent  forward  and  looked  into  my  eyes  a  moment. 

"Yes,  he  began  as  he  settled  into  his  chair  in  a  more 
confidential  fashion,  I  believe  I  can  trust  you." 

I  was  flattered.  Slowly  he  withdrew  from  under  his 
cloak  a  much  thumb-worn,  yellow  covered  book. 

"I  have  something  here,"  he  said,  "which  is  a  great 
curiosity  and  will  sell  by  the  car  load.  I  was  one  day 
looking  through  a  mass  of  supposed  rubbish  that  had 
been  thrown  from  my  grandfather's  library  by  ignorant 
hands  into  a  box.  He  was  senator  from  South  Carolina 
about  tne  time  of  the  Mexcan  War.  In  that  box  I  found 
this  book  worn  as  it  is  now.  I  have  read  it  and  I  let  a 
few  select  friends  read  it.  It  is  the  most  fascinating  and 
absorbing  book  that  was  ever  written.  Its  fame  has 
spread  among  the  boys  in  our  county  till  I  am  compelled 
to  lock  the  book  in  my  safe  in  a  private  drawer.  It  has 
been  inquired  for  among  publishers  and  booksellers  by 
the  many  people  I  know  till  every  part  of  the  English 
speaking  world  has  been  searched  in  vain  for  another 
copy.  There  are  several  million  young  men  in  the 
United  States  and  I  calculate  that  of  them  alone  at  least 
three  in  every  five  would  buy  a  copy  if  he  had  a  chance. 
If  you  will  give  me  a  contract  to  pay  over  to  me  every 
three  months  one  half  of  the  profits  from  the  sale  of  this 
book,  you  can  have  it.  There  is  no  other  copy  of  it  in 
the  world." 

He  took  out  his  watch  and  gave  a  gasp. 
"Great  heavens,"  he  cried.      "It  is  impossible   for  me 


AS    EDITOR.  2OI 


to  remain  here  another  minue.  My  party  is  now  at  the 
train.  I  have  less  than  ten  minutes  to  get  there  in. 
They  must  not  suspect  my  errand." 

"Say,"  he  said,  grasping  my  hand  and  looking  into 
my  eyes,  "can  I  trust  you?  Will  you  send  the  contract 
to  me  or  return  me  the  book  by  registered  package  to 
Clay  Center?" 

In  the  suddeness  of  his  emotion  I  thoughtlessly  con 
sented,  but  I  regretted  my  weakness  in  allowing  him  to 
leave  the  book  the  moment  he  passed  through  the  door. 
I  saw  that  the  cover  had  been  worn  away  with  its  frequent 
handling.  The  edges  of  the  leaves  were  crumbled  and 
greased.  Surely  it  was  an  interesting  book  that  could 
so  entrance  the  brain  of  a  United  States  Senator  and  his 
dude  descendant.  On  what  universal  theme  could  it 
thus  treat.  I  turned  the  book  over.  On  the  title  page 
I  read:  "The  Loves  of  Cleopatria", — no  author,  no 
publisher.  They  were  ashamed  or  afraid  to  be  known." 

"No  I  didn't  read  it,  but  being  afraid  to  place  it  in 
the  mail  I  retnrned  it  by  express.  I  was  meditating 
seriously  on  abandoning  my  post  when  I  was  so  softly 
approached  by  a  little  old  man  whose  entrance  I  had  not 
heard  and  of  whose  presence  I  was  not  aware  until  he 
gently  touched  me  on  the  shoulder. 

Without  a  word  he  laid  a  manuscript  before  me  and 
I  read  the  title,  "The  Sybilline  Book  of  Recipes  for 
Miracles." 

He  smiled  but  did  not  speak.  Perhaps  he  was  dumb. 
I  made  a  test. 

"What's  the  scheme?"  I  asked. 


2O2  LUCKY    TEN    BAR 


He  sat  down,  knitted  his  long  white  overhanging 
eyebrows,  and  I  saw  that  lie  had  heard. 

"Happiness  is  in  the  mind,"  said  he,  "and  the  mind 
is  influenced  by  physical  processes.  Note  that  wine 
excites  and  opium  soothes." 

"I  have  long  been  satisfied,"  he  continued,  "that  if 
I  could  catch  the  beauty  of  sound  and  color  and  mater 
ialize  it  into  some  etherized  substance  so  fine  that  it 
would  enter  the  sorpuscles  of  the  blood  either  through 
the  lungs,  the  stomach  or  better  through  one  of  the  five 
senses  and  thus  be  deposited  in  the  brain  and  nerves,  I 
could  change  the  entire  being  of  a  man  or  woman  into 
the  purity  and  beauty  of  sound  and  color.  After  years 
of  experimenting  I  discovered  a  substance  sensitive  to 
color  and  sound.  Quantities  held  in  a  periwinkle-shell 
would  absorb  the  most  beautiful  warbling  of  the  birds 
and  when  inhaled  by  a  maiden  or  taken  in  her  food  and 
drink,  it  would  fly  like  wine  to  her  head  and  she  would 
straightway  sing  as  beautifully  as  the  birds.  I  can  like 
wise  infuse  into  it  the  most  beautiful  sentiments  of  song 
and  poetry  and  speech.  I  can  put  the  substance  again 
into  the  camera  and  fill  it  with  the  most  beautiful  scenes 
of  earth  and  the  sky.  The  essence  thus  prepared  could 
be  unconsciously  inhaled  and  the  person  would  think  the 
most  splendid  and  sublime  thoughts.  His  entire  nature 
would  be  changed.  The  drunkard  in  an  hour  would  be 
come  the  most  sober  and  pious  citizen.  It  would  be 
made  to  pervade  the  atmosphere  about  a  howling  mob 
of  anarchy  and  their  riots  would  subside  into  prayer- 
meetings  of  praise  and  hallelujahs  to  their  creator.  The 
fame  of  all  this  and  the  good  it  will  do  are  reward  enough 


DOCTOR  VARTOW.  See  Page  210 


AS    EDITOR.  203 


for  me.  I  have  embodied  it  all  in  a  beautifully  prophetic 
story  which  I  will  let  you  have  almost  at  your  own 
price." 

He  thought  I  was  meditating  and  so  continued,  "if 
you  can  let  me  have  ten  dollars  on  it  now  I  will  leave 
the  manuscript  with  you  and  redeem  it  next  week,  if  you 
cannot  take  advantage  of  its  supreme  merits." 

'  'And  there  were  others, "  continued  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
in  a  tone  of  despair.  "I  am  paralyzed." 

He  threw  out  his  hands  in  deprecation.  "Let  me 
loose,"  he  cried,  "I  was  not  cut  out  for  this  job." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


SPECULATION  AND  A  LOVE  AFFAIR. 


"Welcome  to  my  home,"  said  Bradley  Van  Dusen  as 
he  threw  open  the  front  door  of  a  new  house  newly- 
equipped  in  a  fashionable  neighborhood  of  Harlem,  and 
motioned  Lucky  Ten  Bar  to  enter.  The  Western  visitor 
looked  admiringly  around.  "When  is  the  mistress  to 
take  possession?"  he  asked. 

"It's  hers  on  the  last  day  of  June,  her  birthday,  less 
than  a  month  from  today,"  replied  Bradley  Van  Dusen 
proudly.  "She  finishes  her  course  in  the  conservatory 
of  music  this  week  and  our  marriage  will  be  solemnized 
on  the  anniversary  of  her  birth." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  sighed.  "I  wish  I  could  make  it  a 
double  wedding." 


2O4  SPECULATION 


Bradley  Van  Dusen  laughed.  "You  and  Helen's 
best  girl  friend  will  stand  up  with  us  and  that  will  be 
good  practice  but  I  advise  you  to  make  no  haste.  Do 
as  I  have  done.  Have  a  five  year  courtship  and  you  will 
have  a  calmer,  more  certain  judgement  on  the  happy  and 
momentous  event." 

"By  the  way,"  he  added.  "I  have  some  business  to 
attend  to  in  an  hour  in  Wall  street.  Perhaps  you  would 
like  to  go  with  me.  We  can  visit  the  Stock  Exchange 
and  Board  of  Trade.  As  you  are  looking  for  experience 
perhaps  you  would  like  to  invest  a  few  hundred  just  to 
satisfy  yourself  how  much  wiser  it  is  to  be  a  ranchman 
in  Paradise  Valley." 

An  hour  later  Bradley  Van  Dusen  and  Lucky  Ten 
Bar  were  passing  through  the  great  mart  of  trade  and 
speculation  known  as  Wall  Street.  Presently  they  passed 
up  some  steps  and  entered  a  door  when  a  bedlam  of 
sounds  broke  upon  their  ears,  worse  in  pitch  and  variety 
than  anything  Lucky  Ten  Bar  had  ever  heard,  not  even 
excepting  county  political  conventions  and  county-seat 
fights  which  he  had  known  on  the  thinly  settled  region 
of  the  plains.  The  door-keeper  at  a  word  from  Bradley 
Van  Dusen  promptly  admitted  them.  It  was  one  of  the 
best  shows  Lucky  Ten  Bar  had  ever  seen.  Copper 
Stocks  were  tumbling  and  in  his  curiosity,  he  got  mixed 
up  with  the  crowd  of  howling  lunatics.  Presently  a  man 
in  uniform  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder. 

"Who  do  you  want  to  see?"  inquired  the  officer. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  couldn't  remember  that  he  wanted  to 
see  anybody.  He  stammered  out  some  inchoherent  reply 
and  the  first  thing  he  knew,  the  officer  had  whirled  him 


MT.    SHEOL,    PARADISE    VALLEY. 


A    LOVE    AFFAIR.  2O$ 


around  facing  the  entrance  and  was  rapidly  hustling  him 
toward  the  door.  Not  being  accustomed  to  such  rough 
handling  he  began  to  resist,  when  three  or  four  other 
uniformed  minions  joined  in  and  rushed  him  past  the 
doorkeeper.  That  individual  came  to  the  rescue  but 
before  any  interference  could  be  made  effective,  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  found  himself  in  a  very  ruffled  state  sitting  on 
the  steps  leading  to  the  gallery. 

"There  is  yoir  place,"  indicated  the  officer  who  had 
run  him  out  from  among  the  bulls  and  bears  of  Copper 
Stocks,  pointing  upward  to  a  place  where  a  number  of 
men  and  women  could  be  seen  looking  down  upon  the 
bedlam  on  the  floor  of  the  Stock  Exchange.  He  was' 
debating  what  to  do  and  trying  to  decide  what  had 
happened  to  him  when  Bradley  Van  Dusen  came  to  his 
rescue.  Numerous  apologies  were  made  by  the  officers 
and  accepted  by  the  victim  when  he  was  led  once  more 
into  the  arena  where  great  fortunes  were  made  and  lost 
even'  minute.  Bradley  Van  Dusen  was  much  amused  but 
the  victim  could  not  see  the  place  where  the  laugh 
came  in. 

"Don't  become  discouraged"  said  Bradley  Van  Dusen 
as  he  saw  the  woeful  face  of  his  companion,  "that  is  not 
half  as  rough  as  the  fellows  are  getting  it,  who  live  in 
here.  Just  entrust  a  few  hundred  for  the  sake  of  some 
lively  experience,  to  this  fellow  here." 

They  had  arrived  before  the  desk  of  a  very  busy  man. 
Boys  in  uniform  were  flying  about  this  place  like  winged 
Mercurys. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  laid  down  a  certified  check  for  five 
hundred  dollars.  It  was  quickly  whipped  away  and  that 


206  SPECULATION. 


was  the  end  of  the  transaction.  Bradley  Van  Dusen 
handed  the  business  card  of  a  firm  of  brokers  in  Wall 
Street  to  Lucky  Ten  Bar  with  a  receipt  and  told  him  to 
call  there  the  next  afternoon  at  four  o'clock. 

With  considerable  curiosity  the  new  plunger  in  mining 
stock  was  at  the  office  at  the  appointed  time.  He  handed 
his  receipt  in  at  the  cashier's  window  and  waited  a  few 
minutes.  Then  the  clerk  shoved  out  a  check  to  him. 
He  looked  at  it  and  the  figures  took  away  his  breath. 

"Two  thousand  dollars!"  he  exclaimed.  "Say,"  he 
cried  in  considerable  excitement,  "I  guess  I'll  do  that 
some  more." 

The  clerk  motioned  him  to  another  window.  After 
a  few  minutes  parley  the  two  thousand  dollar  check 
went  in  and  another  receipt  came  out.  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
came  out  smiling,  it  was  so  easy,  this  making  money  in 
Wall  Street. 

He  sought  out  Bradley  Van  Dusen  and  told  him  that 
he  didn't  think  he  would  ever  go  back  to  the  ranch. 

The  next  morning  at  eleven  o'clock  he  received  a 
dispatch.  He  read  the  telegram  with  feverish  eagerness 
and  then  collapsed.  It  called  for  an  i mediate  deposit  of 
one  thousand  dollars  to  cover  margins.  He  rushed  over 
to  Bradley  Van  Dusen  for  advice.  That  gentleman  was 
so  cruel  as  to  laugh  at  the  perturbation  of  his  friend. 

"Don't  do  it,  my  boy,"  he  advised.  "The  experience 
is  doubtless  worth  the  five  hundred  dollars  you  invested. 
It  is  worth  many  times  that  amount  if  it  causes  you  never 
again  to  speculate  in  such  insecurities.  When  you 
entered  the  exchange  you  thought  you  had  suddenly 


A    LOVE    AFFAIR.  2O/ 


entered  a  mad  house  full  of  lunatics.  Well,  it  is  a  mad 
house  and  they  are  lunatics." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  looked  as  dejected  as  an  army  mule. 
"Cheer  up,"  said  Bradley  Van  Dusen.  "I  have  made  a 
box  party  to  hear  a  new  topical  song-star  at  the  vaude 
ville.  You  are  to  be  one  of  the  number  and  there  you 
will  forget  all  your  financial  troubles  occasioned  by  the 
little  dabble  you  have  made  in  Wall  Street  speculation." 

Eight  o'clock  found  half  a  dozen  fashionably  dressed 
young  men  gathered  in  the  bachelor  appartments  of 
Bradley  Van  Dusen,  but  none  of  them  surpassed  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  in  the  stylishness  of  attire.  Bradley  Van 
Dusen's  tailor  had  so  transformed  his  appearance,  that 
few  could  have  recognized  the  cow-boy  rounding  up 
herds  a  year  before  on  the  border  of  the  Bad  Lands. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  eight  young  men  were  occupy 
ing  the  lower  box  nearest  the  stage  of  the  most  popular 
vaudeville  theatre  in  New  York. 

The  numbers  indicated  on  great  card-boards  at  each 
side  of  the  stage  ran  along  smoothly  and  interesting 
enough,  but  it  was  evident  that  the  house  was  impatiently 
waiting  for  number  nineteen. 

As  the  two  fantastically  uniformed  boys  came  through 
the  corner  of  the  curtain  and  pulled  off  the  big  cards 
revealing  number  nineteen,  a  vigorous  hand-clapping 
began  and  increased  in  volume  from  the  front  orchestra 
row  to  the  highest  gallery.  The  young  men  in  the  box 
were  especially  enthusiastic.  The  curtain  began  to 
ascend  upon  a  side-walk  scene  from  a  squalid  portion  of 
New  York,  and  all  became  silent.  The  orchestra  was 
playing  an  air  from  the  Carnival  in  Venice.  Suddenly 


2O8  SPECULATION. 


there  was  another  vigorous  outburst  of  hand-clapping  as 
a  figure  representing  a  young  girl  in  rags,  carrying  a 
basket  of  fruit,  tripped  out  on  the  stage.  To  the  music 
of  the  orchestra  she  sang: 

"Apples  and  pears, 

Apples  and  pears, 

Who'll  buy  my  apples  and  pears?" 

At  the  close  of  every  stanza,  the  applause  increased. 
She  then  tripped  off  the  stage  and  was  called  back  by 
the  continued  uproar.  She  returned  in  the  costume  of  a 
girl  selling  papers  and  sang  a  song  of  "The  sidewalks  of 
New  York."  Again  she  disappeared  in  the  wings  and 
the  unappeasable  applause  broke  forth  again. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  brought  his  hand  across  his  forehead 
and  found  it  wet  with  perspiration.  The  two  boys  re 
appeared  from  the  corner  of  the  curtain  and  drew  off 
card  number  nineteen  indicating  that  she  was  not  to 
reappear.  But  the  audience  would  not  have  it  so.  The 
curtain  went  up  on  another  scene,  and  other  players 
appeared,  and  still  the  deafening  demand  for  encore 
continued.  The  players  struggled  manfully  for  a  few 
moments  to  be  heard,  but  were  compelled  to  leave  the 
stage.  The  uproar  ceased  and  the  manager  appeared. 

In  the  hushed  silence  of  the  house,  he  said,  "Miss 
McQuinn  is  threatened  with  serious  trouble  to  her  throat 
and  her  physician  will  not  allow  her  to  sing  more  than 
she  has  already  done  tonight.  We  are  hoping  that  the 
difficulty  will  soon  be  relieved.  Meanwhile  Miss  McQuinn 
wishes  me  to  express  her  gratitude  for  your  appreciation." 

A  murmur  of  sympathy  went  through  the  audience, 
and  the  players  reappeared. 


A    LOVE    AFFAIR.  2OQ 


Two  of  the  young  men  left  the  box  to  go  behind  the 
scenes,  but  they  soon  returned  quite  crestfallen.  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  found  himself  listening  eagerly  as  he  heard  one 
exclaim  to  Bradley  Van  Dusen.  "It's  no  use!  She  can't 
be  seen  by  any  of  us.  I  have  used  all  kinds  of  expedients 
and  never  made  a  failure  before.  All  the  other  boys  are 
in  the  same  fix.  I  have  never  seen  any  one  who  has 
ever  met  any  one  who  had  free  entrance  to  the  presence 
of  her  ladyship.  The  chappies  are  all  in  despair." 

The  next  night  Lucky  Ten  Bar  had  a  seat  alone  in 
the  front  row  and  the  same  thing  occurred. 

The  next  night  he  was  there  again,  and  she  sang  but 
one  song.  The  manager  announced  that  the  physician 
had  limited  her  to  one  song.  The  next  night  he  was 
there  again.  She  sang  but  one  song  and  that  in  such  a 
voice  that  there  was  but  an  echo  of  the  former  applause. 
The  next  night  her  name  did  not  appear  on  the  bills. 
There  was  another  topical  songstress  named  at  number 
nineteen. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  had  never  had  a  problem  before  of 
such  magnitude  as  this.  He  wanted  to  talk  with  Sarah 
McQuinn.  He  had  no  one  to  go  to  but  Bradley  Van 
Dusen,  but  only  a  prolonged  laugh  greeted  him  when  he 
made  his  wants  known  the  next  day  to  his  friend. 

'  'O  you  are  not  the  first  one  to  go  daft  over  Sarah 
McQuinn,"  said  Bradley  Van  Dusen  in  a  consoling  tone 
when  he  saw  the  seriousness  of  his  frind.  "But  she  is 
inaccessible.  If  you  must  have  an  experience  with  a 
music-hall  singer  before  you  return  to  the  ranch,  then 
fall  in  love  with  some  one  who  is  easier.  There  are  lots 
of  them  who  would  be  glad  to  have  you  for  an  angel." 


210  SPECULATION 


For  the  first  time,  Bradley  Van  Dusen's  advice  pro- 
dused  no  effect  whatever  on  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  He 
returned  to  the  theatre  and  by  a  tip  to  one  of  the  ushers 
obtained  the  name  of  the  throat  specialist  who  was 
treating  Sarah  McQuinn.  He  hurried  away  to  the  address 
given  and  inquired  for  Dr.  Vartow. 

The  attendant  went  to  the  inner  office  and  returned. 

"Dr.  Vartow  is  busy,"  she  said.  "You  must  come 
again." 

"I  will  not,"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar  warmly. 
"My  business  is  important  and  I  must  see  him." 

The  woman  attendant  went  out  and  the  doctor,  a 
large,  wholesome-looking  man  of  scientific  cast,  returned 
with  her. 

"Be  brief  as  possible,"  he  said,  "what  can  I  do  for 
you?" 

"It  is  about  Miss  McQuinn"  he  said  anxiously.  "I 
am  her  friend  and  I  want  to  know  how  she  is  and  if 
there  is  anything  I  can  do  for  her." 

The  doctor  looked  at  him  sarcastically.  "O,  it  is,  is 
it,"  he  said  slowly,  "then  the  scarcer  you  make  yourself 
in  her  affairs  the  better  you  will  be  in  the  esteem  of  all 
concerned.  You  are  about  the  fifteenth  up  to  date  and 
more  coming.  There  is  the  door." 

The  doctor  turned  on  his  heel. 

"Doctor,"  he  said  in  a  voice  that  made  the  scientist 
turn  about.  "You  are  mistaken  in  me,  I  am  not  one  of 
those  chappies  that  hang  about  the  theater  to  annoy  her. 
I  am  a  simple  plainsman  from  a  Western  ranch.  I  have 
heard  that  Miss  McQuinn  is  an  unknown  girl  from  humble 
ranks  who  has  recently  reached  success  at  the  first  jump 


MULTNOMAH    FALLS.       OVER    8oO    FEET    HIGH,     COLUMBIA    RIVER. 


A    LOVE    AFFAIR.  21  I 


and  is  now  about  to  lose  her  voice.  It  is  not  likely  that 
she  has  much  money  for  expensive  specialists.  I  was 
once  in  her  ranks  here  in  New  York  and  now  I  have 
some  money.  If  she  needs  help,  I  want  to  help  her. 
The  doctor  seemed  interested. 

"Sit  down  a  moment,"  he  said.  "You  do  seem 
different  and  perhaps  you  are  worthy  of  some  attention. 
You  are  right  in  the  opinion  that  she  has  not  had  time 
to  make  much  money  out  of  her  sudden  popularity.  She 
has  been  faithfully  striving  for  years  only  to  lose  in  the 
moment  of  success.  A  delicate  operation  might  save 
her  but  it  might  also  cost  hundreds  of  dollars.  She 
hasn't  the  money  for  the  operation  or  the  means  of  re 
maining  absolutely  voiceless,  except  for  low  conversation, 
during  the  year  that  her  vocal  organs  should  rest." 

"How  many  hundred  dollar?,  doctor,"  said  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  drawing  out  his  cheque  book. 

The  doctor  looked  his  singular  visitor  over  carefully. 

"Say  five  hundred  for  the  operation,"  he  said  as  if 
weighing  the  cost  of  the  case. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  took  up  a  pen  and  filled  out  the 
blanks  in  the  cheque  book. 

"There  is  the  five  hundred,"  he  said  placing  the 
strip  of  paper  in  the  doctor's  hand.  "Now  I  want  to 
know  if  this  operation  will  be  promptly  and  effectively 
performed." 

"It  will"  said  the  doctor. 

"When?" 

"To-morrow,  at  this  hour." 

"Where?" 


212  TPECULATION. 


"At  Bellevue  hospital." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  gave  a  start.  He  remembered  the 
name  and  there  was  a  glimmering  recollection  of  his 
having  been  there  once  with  a  broken  arm. 

"May  I  be  there  then  to  know  if  the  operation  is 
successful?" 

"Does  she  know  you  as  a  friend?"  responded  the 
doctor. 

•'No,"  replied  Lucky  Ten  Bar,  "and  she  is  not  to 
know  that  the  operation  costs  the  hundreds  of  dollars 
you  have  told  me  it  would  cost.  You  can  name  a  small 
fee  within  her  means  as  all  that  is  necessary.  You  must 
recall  in  a  general  way  what  you  have  told  her  about  the 
year  of  waiting.  That  can  be  a  matter  settled  afterward. 
Spare  nothing  that  will  help  her.  I  will  pay  all  costs." 

The  doctor  was  puzzled.  He  thought  a  moment, 
looked  his  peculiar  client  over  with  studied  care,  and 
then  said,  "I  am  convinced  that  your  interest  in  her  is 
honest  and  genuine.  She  is  worthy  of  it.  You  shall  see 
the  operation  performed  Be  at  the  office  of  Bellevue 
promptly  at  two  o'clock  to-morrow  afternoon  and  I  will 
fit  you  out  as  my  attendant. " 

Luck)'  Ten  Bar  grasped  the  doctor's  hand  and  left 
the  room  radiant  with  the  most  exalted  sensation  of 
happiness  that  he  had  ever  felt. 


"THEN    YOU    ARE    LITTLE    SKINNY"    SHE    WHISPERED.          See    Page    2l6 


A    DOUBLE    WEDDING.  213 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


A      DOUBLE      WEDDING. 


At  the  oppointed  time,  the  anxious  and  impatient 
philanthropist  appeared  in  the  office  of  the  hospital  and 
looked  eagerly  around  to  see  if  the  doctor  had  preceded 
him.  Although  nearly  a  score  of  years  had  made  many 
changes  in  the  celebrated  old  hospital  and  its  neighbor 
hood,  there  was  a  familiarity  about  it  that  brought  his 
early  childhood  back  to  mind.  In  all  the  names  of 
persons  and  places  there  was  the  name  of  only  one 
person  that  he  could  recall.  He  had  not  forgotten  Sally. 
As  he  entered  the  hospital  he  could  in  his  memory 
plainly  see  Sally  running  along  by  his  side  and  being  so 
cruelly  denied  entrance  with  him. 

The  impression  of  his  thoughts  were  still  upon  him 
when  a  little  old  women,  neatly  but  very  plainly  dressed, 
entered  the  office  from  the  stair-way  and  looked  inquir 
ingly  around. 

"Is  this  the  doctors  attendant ?"  she  asked  coming  up 
to  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  "He  is  waiting  for  you  in  the 
operating  room  on  the  next  floor."  She  led  the  way  and 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  followed  her. 

On  entering  the  room  he  saw  a  white  figure  under  the 
influence  of  an  opiate  lying  in  the  operating  chair.  The 
white  throat  was  barred  and  three  specialists  were 


214  A    DOUBLE    WEDDING. 

making  a  critical  examination.  Lucky  Ten  Bar  was 
told  to  take  a  seat  near  at  hand  and  obey  orders.  Hap 
pily  there  were  no  orders  for  him  to  obey,  and  he  sat 
where  he  could  see  the  face  of  her  whom  he  was  thus 
enabled  to  befriend. 

The  old  women  who  had  called  for  him  was  the  girl's 
mother  and  every  movement  she  made  through  the 
course  of  the  operation  was  of  peculiar  interest  to  him. 
He  believed  that  he  had  seen  her  before.  Three  or  four 
hours  passed  before  the  delicate  work  had  been  com 
pleted,  and  then  he  was  detailed  with  another  attendant 
to  help  carry  her  to  a  carriage  and  to  take  her  to  her 
home. 

There  were  but  three  or  four  blocks  in  the  distance 
to  her  home  and  Lucky  Ten  Bar  everywhere  saw  familiar 
scenes  that  brought  up  visions  of  the  time  when  he  and 
Sally  sold  papers  and  begged  pennies  along  these  blocks. 

He  took  his  leave  when  he  saw  the.  yet  half  un 
conscious  patient  at  ease  under  her  mother's  care  in  the 
cosy  flat  of  an  old  but  well-perserved  apartment  building. 

Every  day  for  a  week  afterward,  he  was  privileged  to 
go  with  the  specialist  to  visit  the  patient  and  the  doctor 
declared  at  length  that  professional  services  were  no 
longer  needed,  if  she  would  but  let  her  throat  rest  a  year, 
since  a  scientific  miracle  had  been  performed  by  which 
he  was  sure  that  the  tone  and  quality  of  her  voice  had 
been  preserved. 

During  these  visits  the  physician's  attendant  found 
little  to  say  and  he  ventured  with  considerable  trepidation 
to  return  alone  of  his  own  accord  the  following  day. 

"I  like  this  part  of  New    York"    he    ventured    to  say 


VIEW    OF    THE    RAILROAD    IN    OREGON. 


A    DOUBLE    WEDDING. 


after  an  embarassing  greeting  at  his  entrance  on  the  un 
invited  visit.  "I  can  remember  playing  around  here  as 
a  child," 

The  songstress  was  sitting  in  an  easy  chair  with  her 
throat  tightly  bandaged  obeying  the  admonition  sternly 
given  by  the  specialist  that  for  at  least  ten  days  after  the 
operation  she  must  speak  only  in  whispers.  Lucky  Ten 
Bar  was  sure  that  he  had  never  seen  so  lovely  a  woman 
in  all  his  life.  The  mother  and  daughter  remained  silent 
or  the  mother  answered  only  in  monosyllables  believing 
that  he  had  come  only  in  the  line  of  professional  duties. 

"I  have  had  a  very  changeful  experience  since  leav 
ing  here,"  he  continued  desperately  determined  to  end 
one  way  or  the  other  an  anxious  supposition  that  had 
grown  in  strength  from  the  moment  he  had  first  seen 
Sarah  McQuinn's  face  on  the  stage  of  the  vaudeville. 
He  talked  on  running  rapidly  backward  over  the  story  of 
his  life  till  he  came  again  to  his  childhood  in  New  York. 
His  listeners  were  interested,  but  wondered  what  such  a 
story  had  to  do  with  throat  diseases. 

"Where  did  you  get  your  knowledge  of  medicine  and 
surgery,"  asked  Mrs.  McQuinn.  "I  thought  you  were  a 
specialist/' 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  covered  with  confusion.  He  did 
not  know  how  to  answer  to  save  himself  from  losing 
their  confidence. 

"I  had  an  experience  in  Bellevue,"  he  stammered. 
"I  had  my  arm  dislocated  when  a  child  and  was  taken 
there  by  a  policeman.  I  had  a  little  girl  friend  who  was 
allowed  to  go  no  nearer  than  the  door." 


2l6  A    DOUBLE    WEDDING. 

The  songstress  raised  her  head  with  a  sudden 
awakening  of  interest. 

"I  never  saw  her  again." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar's  voice  choked  with  emotion. 

"I  promised  her  I  would  come  back  to  find  her  and  I 
have  come." 

Tears  came  into  his  eyes  that  he  could  not   suppress. 

"I  thought, "  he  stammered,  ashamed  of  his  weak 
ness,  "that  the  lady  I  heard  singing  at  the  vaudeville 
last  week  might  be  my  lost  playmate.  Of  course  I  do 
not  know  why  I  should  be  so  foolish  as  to  think  so." 

The  girl  in  the  chair  was  all  this  time  staring  hard  at 
him,  and  he  could  not  meet  her  eyes.  She  motioned 
to  her  mother  to  come  near  and  then  whispered  some 
thing  to  her.  The  old  woman  went  to  a  bureau  and 
brought  out  a  little  tin  box.  The  girl  looked  through  it 
and  laid  a  piece  of  card-board  on  the  arm  of  her  chair. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  sprang  to  his  feet  as  from  an  electric 
shock.  He  brought  out  a  leather  case  from  his  pocket 
and  laid  another  piece  of  card-board  down  by  the  side 
of  hers.  They  matched  perfectly. 

"Then  you  are  little  Skinny,"  she  whispered. 

He  fell  on  his  knees  by  her  chair  and  she  laid  her 
hand  on  his  head,  while  tears  filled  her  eyes. 

"What  does  this  mean"  cried  Mrs.  McQi.inn,  greatly 
astonished.  It  did  not  take  long  to  tell  her. 

"That  man's  son,"  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar  proudly 
poiting  to  the  card  "is  my  partner  in  one  of  the  finest 
ranches  of  the  Northwest.  Your  piece  of  the  card 
represents  your  part  of  the  reward  that  I  meant  for  you 
to  have.  I  have  come  to  give  it  to  you." 


A    DOUBLE    WEDDING.  2  IJ 

That  evening  Lucky  Ten  Bar  astonished  Bradley 
Van  Dusen  by  rushing  in  and  grasping  him  by  the  hand 
as  he  exclaimed.  "I've  found  Sally." 

•'Who  the  duce  is  Sally?"  he  asked  somewhat 
irreverently. 

"Sally,  who's  Sally?"  he  cried  hysterically?  "Why 
she  is  to  be  my  wife.  I  don't  think  I  need  any  practice 
standing  up  with  you.  If  I  stand  up  with  you,  it  can  be 
for  earnest  and  Sally  can  be  the  other  one  in  a  double 
wedding. " 

The  mystified  Bradley  Van  Dusen  became  at  last 
enlightened,  and  in  time  there  was  a  glorious  event  in 
the  home  of  the  Wisner's  in  the  little  college  town  of 
Sunset  on  the  Susquehanna.  There  was  a  double 
wedding. 

"And  now?"  asked  Bradley  Van  Dusen  when  the 
ceremonies  and  congratulations  were  over.  "What's 
your  plans?" 

Lucky  Ten  Bar's  Wife  answered  for  him. 

"In  due  course  of  time,"  said  she,  "we  will  see  the 
world  together;  but  we  have  decided  that  our  home  shall 
always  be  in  Paradise  Valley." 


2l8  A    COW    BOY 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


A    COW    BOY    IN    SOCIETY. 


How  to  be  less  foolish  than  one  looks,  is  a  serious 
question,  with  a  bridegroom.  The  task  is  not  as  easy  as 
it  seems. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  found  it  more  difficult  than  most 
people,  but  he  was  thoroughly  in  love  with  his  wife  and 
she  with  him,  so  there  were  both  the  blissfulness  of 
ignorance  and  unconcern. 

There  had  been  no  time  to  plan  wedding  journeys, 
and  no  desire  to  plan  them,  if  there  had  been  time. 

Mother  McQuinn  was  able  to  show  her  stalwart  son- 
in-law,  so  marvellously  different  from  little  Skinny  thai 
had  once  been  the  playmate  of  Sally,  by  means  of  an 
old  parish  register  that  he  had  been  baptised  under  the 
name  of  Robert  Dugan  and  that  was  the  name  he 
preferred  to  have  on  his  marriage  certificate.  It  was  the 
one  which  he  hereafter  placed  on  hotel  registers  and 
legal  documents,  but  he  was  never  familiarly  known  by 
his  associates  and  friends  under  any  name  other  than 
that  of  Lucky  Ten  Bar. 

Mother  McQuinn  had  known  the  parents  of  little 
Skinny  who  had  died  when  he  was  less  than  five  years 
old,  and  she  and  her  daughter  alone  of  all  his  intimates, 
persevered  in  calling  him  Robert. 

Bradley  Van  Dusen  and  his  wife  took  a  tour  through 


TlIE  BLISSFULL  SOLITUDE  IN  WHICH  TWO  ARE  ALL  THE  UNIVERSE.    Page  2IQ 


IN    SOCIETY.  219 


Europe,  but  Sarah  Dugan  and  Mother  McQuinn  longed 
to  see  Paradise  Valley  and  escape  for  a  year  at  least 
from  the  hardships  and  thraldom  of  the  city. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  believed  that  he  had  seen  all  he  wanted 
to  see,  except  the  mysteries  of  society  at  the  Summer 
resorts,  and  his  wife  decided  that  he  should  have  his 
curiosity  satisfied.  She  prepared  to  chaperone  him 
through  the  intricacies  of  some  of  the  most  fashionable 
places. 

All  the  riches  of  the  universe  seemed  to  open  at  once 
before  the  visions  and  ambitions  of  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  For 
once  his  abilities  as  a  story-teller  were  taxed  to  the  ut 
most.  His  wife  kept  him  talking  of  his  experiences 
since  she  had  been  separated  from  him  as  a  sympathetic 
playmate  at  the  Bellevue  door,  till  every  day  of  his  past 
life  had  been  covered. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  too  delighted  and  too  little  versed 
in  the  ways  of  hiding  his  emotions  for  society's  sake  to 
be  intrusted  in  a  honeymoon  where  there  were  many 
prosaic  people  to  see  and  to  be  amused. 

His  wife  hurried  him  off  on  a  visit  to  the  home  of  a 
secluded  friend  in  the  hills  of  Jersey.  The  first  day  they 
took  a  car  and  ran  out  to  the  line  which  ended  abruptly 
in  the  forest  where  some  enterprising  men  had*  fasioned 
a  pleasure  resort  but  had  found  no  patrons.  They  spent 
the  day  wandering  among  the  flowers  and  through  woods, 
in  the  blissful  solitude  in  which  two  are  all  the  universe. 
Toward  nightfall  they  returned  tired  and  hungry  to  take 
the  electric  car  back  to  the  rural  home  of  their  convenient 
friend.  Seated  on  a  cross-tie  they  waited  patiently  for 
the  car  that  never  came.  No  one  was  to  be  seen  whom 


'.20  A    COW    BOY 


they  might  question  as  to  the  schedule  time  on  that  line 
until  a  solitary  man  came  into  view. 

The  steel  climbers  flung  over  his  shoulder  and  the 
case  of  small  tools  in  his  hand  indicated  that  he  was  a 
telegraph  lineman.  His  large,  shaggy  head,  intelligent 
face,  broad  shoulders  and  unkempt  clothing  were  typical 
of  the  workman,  who,  narrowed  and  limited  by  conditions 
and  environments,  think  like  a  Franklin  and  live  like  a 
boor.  He  viewed  the  distressed  indviduals  without  the 
slightest  expression  of  interest. 

"Can  you  tell  us,"  inquired  Lucky  Ten  Bar  anxiously, 
"when  the  next  car  will  be  here?" 

The  lineman  stopped  and  began  to  make  a  mental 
calculation  on  his  fingers. 

"Well,  I  figure  it  out  this  way,"  he  drawled.  "At 
this  time  of  year  you  can  calculate  on  an  average  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  marriages  a  day  in  the  regions  of  New 
York.  A  score  fly  East,  a  score  fly  West,  and  a  score 
fly  over  the  cookoo's  nest.  That  is,  each  point  of  the 
compass  gets  a  score  while  the  rest  just  flop  around  as  if 
going  somewhere  but  stay  at  home.  Out  of  the  ones 
that  stay  at  home,  an  average  of  ten  honeymoon  at 
Coney  Island,  another  ten  hide  in  the  hills  up  the  Hudson 
and  one  a  week  gets  out  here.  They  usually  spoon  so  in 
the  car  that  the  motorman  and  conductor  are  so  over 
come  that  they  forget  to  tell  the  stricken  pair  that  this 
is  honeymoon  paradise  and  the  car  only  comes  out  here 
by  appointment.  It's  the  car-mens's  joke  if  they  are  not 
told  when  to  come  out  to  the  end  of  the  line.  Up  to 
nine  o'clock  you  can  get  a  car  somewhat  over  a  mile 
below." 


IN    SOCIETY.  221 


"But  isn't  there  a  house  around  here  where  we  can 
stay  all  night?"  asked  Lucky  Ten  Bar  in  dismay. 

"Naw, "  was  the  sententious  reply. 

"But  who  owns  the  turnips  and  the  corn  in  the  old 
garden  over  there?"  persisted  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  "I  should 
think  that  there  ought  to  be  a  house  near  by." 

"Your  deductions  are  consistent  and  perfectly  logical, 
young  man,"  remarked  the  lineman,  looking  at  the 
questioner  from  under  the  shadow  of  his  large  slouch 
hat,  and  shaggy  eyebrows.  "Paley  with  his  watch  had 
no  more  excellent  reasons  for  his  conclusions.  Butler's 
analogies  are  not  so  worthy  of  belief,  but  you  are  wrong. 
I  have  been  at  work  here  off  and  on  for  the  last  two 
years,  and  I  have  been  unable  to  locate  your  hypothetical 
house.  I  conjecture  that  the  corn  and  turnips  are  de 
scendants  of  ancient  progenitors.  After  studying  and  of 
course  tasting  the  fruit  under  present  discussion,  I  have 
boldly  concluded  that  the  fostering  hand  of  civilization 
has  long  since  been  withdrawn  from  their  education  and 
care.  However,  if  your  inner  man  is  in  any  way  rebel 
lious  against  enforced  fasting  or  thirst,  I  would  advise 
you  to  repair  there  at  once  and  satisfy  yourselves." 

"What  shall  we  do?"  inquired  Lucky  Ten  Bar  in 
despair  turning  to  his  wife. 

"Been  married  just  forty-four  hours  and  twenty 
minutes,"  said  the  lineman  in  soliloquy  looking  at  his 
watch. 

"How  do  you  know  that?"  was  the  unguarded 
question  of  the  bridegroom. 

The  lineman  laughed  for  the  first  time. 

"Eye,  ear,  and  memory,"   he   replied.      "An    eye  to 


222  A   COW    BOY 


your  sweet  looks,  exchanged  so  liberally;  an  ear  to  your 
soft  tones  and  a  true  memory  to  their  signification.  In 
terpretation,  you  know,  is  the  best  and  greatest  of  all 
human  sciences.  And  besides,  the  car-men  know  their 
business.  They  never  land  any  persons  out  here  who 
have  been  married  over  forty-eight  hours." 

An  hour  later,  motorman  and  conductor  smiled 
significantly  to  each  other  as  two  individuals  weary  in  all 
but  their  unsuppressable  evidence  of  affection,  boarded 
the  car  a  mile  from  honeymoon  paradise,  and  regardless 
of  the  day's  adventure  and  the  car-men's  joke,  rode 
oblivious  to  the  presence  of  others  to  the  end  of  their 
journey. 

In  due  time  Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  initiated  into  all  the 
mysteries  of  the  paradise  of  fakirs  at  Coney  Island 
and  the  various  places  of  amusement  about  New 
York.  Then  he  took  his  first  sail  over  the  smooth  waters 
of  New  York  bay  and  a  visit  was  paid  to  Seabright  and 
Long  Branch.  Here  he  was  duly  shocked  at  the  abbrevi 
ated  costumes  worn  by  the  sea-bathers. 

"Only  saw  an  approach  to  such  manners  once  be 
fore,"  he  remarked,  "and  that  was  when  I  was  cutting 
my  eye  teeth  in  the  small  hours  of  the  night  when  I  first 
landed  in  Chicago.  I  suppose  like  everything  else,  the 
old  saying  that  extremes  meet,  holds  good  in  the  customs 
of  the  extremes  of  society.  " 

"These  social  doings,"  he  concluded  in  disgust,  "are 
of  no  interest  to  me.  The  best  entertaiment  I  have 
found  since  coming  East  is  to  go  down  on  East  river  and 
eat  clams  from  the  push-carts." 


ALL  AROUND  NEW  YORK.  223 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


ALL     AROUND     NEW     YORK. 


The  beech  and  fashionable  drive  at  Long  Branch  vie 
with  interest  to  the  stranger.  The  swell  occupants  of 
the  turnouts  are  hardly  recognizable  as  the  plungers  in 
the  surf.  The  social  philosopher  can  muse  to  his  heart's 
contest  on  the  vanity  of  life  in  either  case.  But  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  was  not  a  philosopher  and  after  the  novelty  of 
the  first  view  it  all  became  very  tiresome. 

It  was  growing  dark  when  the  two  honeymooners 
took  the  steamer  at  Seabright  back  to  the  city.  The 
tide  was  coming  in  and  the  wonderful  movement  of  the 
sea  was  noticeable  to  the  plainsman  from  the  fact  that 
the  water  was  pouring  over  the  breakwater  which  a  few 
hours  before  was  planly  visible  above  the  surface.  The 
light-houses  and  the  brilliant  electrical  illumination  of 
the  shores  made  a  vision  inspiring  to  revery  and  awe. 
The  ding-dong  of  a  bell-buoy  which  the  steamer  passed 
was  like  a  weird  death  knell  of  the  ocean.  When  the 
light  of  the  Statue  of  Liberty  came  into  view,  the  electric 
lights  of  Staten  Island  and  the  shores  of  Jersey.  Man 
hattan  and  Long  Island,  glowed  with  the  brilliancy  of 
fallen  heavens.  The  illusion  makes  one  feel  that  he  is 
sailing  straight  into  the  golden  ports  of  paradise.  But 
with  the  first  step  ashore  the  delusion  ends. 


224  ALL  AROUND  NEW  YORK. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  allowed  his  wife  to  leave  him  long 
enough  to  spend  a  day  with  her  mother,  who  like  a 
thrifty  woman,  was  disposing  of  her  household  goods  to 
the  best  advantage  preparatory  to  taking  up  her  abode 
in  Paradise  Valley.  Somewhat  lonesome  and  disconsol 
ately  he  was  wandering  about  the  Battery  when  he  saw 
a  familiar  figure  looking  across  the  bay  at  the  Statue  of 
Liberty  on  Bedloe's  Island.  A  nearer  inspection  con 
vinced  him  that  he  knew  the  man. 

"Hello,  Pedro  Santillo,"  he  exclaimed  going  up  to 
the  Mexican  he  had  followed  from  Chicago  to  New 
Orleans,  "the  world  after  all  is  not  so  big  but  that 
friends  may  sometimes  accidently  meet." 

The  Mexican  was  delighted. 

"I  am  married,"  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar  unable  to 
suppress  the  wonderful  news  beyond  the  second  sentence. 

The  Mexican  was  again  delighted. 

In  the  midst  of  their  conversation  a  man  at  the  gang 
plank  of  a  little  steamer  near  them  called  out:  "All 
aboard  for  the  Statue  of  Liberty. 

"Have  you  been  out  yet  to  see  the  big  statue?"  in 
quired  Santillo. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  confessed  that  he  had  not. 

"Then  let  us  go  over,"  suggested  the  Mexican. 

The  gang  plank  was  taken  up  after  them  and  the 
little  steamer  sped  rapidly  over  the  water. 

"Pretty  big  woman,"  said  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  "Must 
take  a  good  bit  to  get  up  into  speaking  distance  of  her 
ear." 

"If  there  is  no  elevator  and  you've  got  to  climb  stairs, 


ALL  AROUND  NEW  YORK.  225 

it  must  take  at  least  a  hard  five  minutes  climb,"  replied 
Santillo. 

Here  was  an  idea.  Lucky  Ten  Bar  had  vowed  to 
get  even  with  the  Mexican,  if  the  opportunity  ever 
offered,  for  the  burning-up  dinners  that  Pedro  Santillo 
had  caused  him  to  eat  in  New  Orleans.  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
had  heard  of  the  exhausting  climb  up  the  seemingly  end 
less  winding  stairs  of  the  statue. 

"I'll  bet  you  the  best  dinner  that  the  Waldorf-Astoria 
can  put  up  that  you  can't  go  up  into  the  woman's  crown, 
wave  your  handkerchief  out  at  me  so  I  will  know  you  are 
there  and  get  back  to  me  from  the  cannon  on  the  shore 
in  front  inside  of  half  an  hour." 

"I'll  make  it  two  to  one,"  exclaimed  the  Mexican 
always  ready  for  a  wager.  "If  I  fail,  I'll  make  the  dinner 
to  you  and  your  wife." 

So  it  was  agreed  and  the  race  against  time  began. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  sat  on  the  cannon  and  waited.  He 
watched  the  little  square  openings  in  the  crown  until  he 
grew  dizzy.  Fifteen  minutes  went  by,  then  eighteen  and 
twenty.  A  little  white  ball  with  fluttering  wings  flew  out 
from  the  crown  and  came  down  to  the  ground  just  over 
the  parapet  of  the  foundation.  Lucky  Ten  Bar  found  a 
handkerchief  containing  a  pebble  for  a  weight.  Inside 
was  a  leaf  from  a  note  book. 

"I  have  climbed  the  corkscrew  up  through  midnight 
space  and  have  lodged  somewhere  in  the  regions  above 
the  stars.  Sometime  I  will  start  down  and  I  hope  to 
arrive  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  at  eight  o'clock  in  time  to 
enjoy  with  you  the  dinner  which  you  must  order  that  I 


226  ALL  AROUND  NEW  YORK. 

may  be  properly  punished  for  the  crime  I  have  commited 
on  my  poor  body." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  went  around  to  a  dilapidated  little 
cafe  and  passed  the  time  paying  three  prices  for  ice-cream 
and  cake.  Half  an  hour  later  Santillo  appeared  and 
sank  down  in  a  chair  exhausted. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  getting  even  with  his  amusing 
friend  but  he  did  not  consider  the  hot  tomales  of  the  New 
Orleans  resturants'yet  atoned  for. 

That  evening  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  met  the 
genial  gentleman  from  Mexico  at  the  appointed  hour  in 
the  noted  hotel  of  the  millionaires  and  an  elaborate 
dinner  for  three  was  ordered. 

"I've  heard  that  they  are  a  little  stiff  on  prices  here," 
said  Lucky  Ten  Bar  by  way  of  discovering  whether  the 
final  bill  would  add  anything  to  the  revenge  he  had 
scored  against  the  dollar  burn-out  dinners  he  had  swal 
lowed  at  the  instance  of  the  joke-loving  Mexican. 

Pedro  Santillo  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"The  lost  wager  is  worth  five  dollars  apiece,"  said 
he,  "and  I  will  never  begrudge  as  much  more  for  an 
hour  in  such  charming  company.  " 

The  great  dining  hall  was  a  vision  of  loveliness  for 
the  gourmand  as  well  as  the  idealist.  This  was  the  acme 
of  epicurean  art  above  the  humble  table  of  the  Western 
ranch.  Part  of  Lucky  Ten  Bar's  pleasure  consisted  in 
seeing  Santillo  surprised  at  the  size  of  the  bill  tor  the 
dinner,  but  the  look  of  surprise  was  very  fleeting.  Forty- 
one  dollars  went  to  the  hotel  and  two  dollars  to  the 
waiter.  Lucky  Ten  Bar  believed  that  honors  were  now 
about  even. 


ALL  AROUND  NEW  YORK.  227 


Before  parting  for  the  evening,  Pedro  Santillo  asked 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  to  meet  him  the  next  morning  and  go 
with  him  on  a  special  business  visit  to  one  of  the  big 
railroad  men  of  New  York  City. 

At  the  hour  appointed  the  next  day  they  went  to  the 
office  of  the  magnate  but  it  was  found  that  the  great  man 
was  at  home  with  a  slight  illness.  The  letter  of  intro 
duction  given  by  the  Mexican  procured  him  the  politest 
attention.  In  a  few  minutes  a  carriage  called  for  them 
and  they  were  driven  directly  north  along  fifth  avenue  to 
within  a  few  rods  of  Central  Park.  As  they  approached  a 
massive  residence,  the  wheels  of  the  carriage  suddenly 
ran  on  to  a  carpet  of  something  brown  and  so  soft  that 
not  the  slightest  sound  of  the  horses  hoofs  could  be  heard. 
BoHi  men  looked  out  and  found  that  the  streets  were 
covered  with  a  layer  of  tan-bark  all  around  the  house. 

"The  man  we  are  to  see  must  be  at  death's  door," 
said  the  Mexican. 

"Look  at  those  policemen  turning  the  carriages  of 
other  people  back  to  another  street,"  added  Lucky  Ten 
Bar. 

Just  then  they  stopped  before  an  iron  fence  not  less 
than  twenty  feet  high  in  front  of  the  house.  A  liveried 
gentleman  opened  the  great  portals  and  let  them  in. 

"Is  Mr.  Vanderbilt  so  very  ill,"  asked  Pedro  Santillo 
in  a  hushed  voice,  that  he  must  have  the  streets  carpeted 
with  tan-bark  and  all  traffic  turned  into  other  streets?" 

"Aw,  not  vewe,"  was  the  reply.  "The  hose-hoofs 
are  annoying,  don't  you  know." 

A  man  in  uniform  met  them  at  the  door  and  took  the 
note  extended  to  him  by  Pedro  Santillo.  He  disappeared 


228  ALL  AROUND  NEW  YORK. 


and  a  few  minutes  later  appeared,  very  obsequiously  in 
viting  them  to  follow  him. 

The  wide  high  hall  was  gorgeously  decorated  with 
the  mail,  visors,  and  arms  of  ancient  heroes.  Costly 
paintings  by  the  masters  were  to  be  seen  at  every  turn. 
Nurses  and  other  servants  of  the  great  man  flitted  about 
like  ghosts.  An  air  of  mathematical  correctness  and 
severe  silence  pervaded  the  place.  It  was  a  depressing 
influence  on  those  not  impressed  with  awe  at  the  appear 
ance  of  monetary  greatness. 

The  butler  led  the  way  up  the  broad  stairs  past  the 
balcony  that  overlooked  the  lower  rooms  that  could  be 
thrown  together  into  one. 

A  courtly  looking  man  sat  in  an  easy  chair  by  the 
window  in  an  elaborate  heavy  gown,  smoking  a  cigar. 
He  greeted  his  visitors  cordially  and  pushed  the  cigar 
case  nearer  to  them.  Pedro  Santillo  gave  him  a  bundle 
of  papers  and  he  looked  them  through  carefully. 

"You  have  performed  your  errand  very  acceptably," 
said  the  money  magnate  and  the  request  of  your  illus 
trious  president  Diaz  has  already  been  anticipated. 
Surveyors  for  the  new  road  are  already  on  their  way  to 
Mexico.  Return  to-morrow  at  this  time  and  I  will  have 
ready  the  papers  and  documents  which  I  wish  you  to 
take  back  to  the  president." 

They  arose  to  go  and  the  butler,  as  if  automatically 
worked  by  inner  machinery,  appeared  bowing  at  the 
door  and  escorted  them  outside. 

"Whew!"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar,  "it  must  be 
awfully  lonesome  to  be  so  great." 


A    CASE    OF    NERVE. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 


A  CASE  OF  NERVE. 


"Sea-sick!"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar  in  disgust. 
"Why,  I've  been  down  the  coast  to  Long  Branch  and  up 
the  river  to  Albany  and  never  felt  a  sign  of  it.  I  guess 
we'd  better  make  the  trip  round  to  Newport  on  a  steamer 
instead  of  going  by  rail." 

So  it  was  arranged  and  the  honeymooners  the  next 
afternoon  at  half  past  five  o'clock  went  aboard  the 
steamer  for  Newport.  The  string  of  splendid  Summer- 
resort  vessels  bound  up  the  coast  through  Long  Island 
Sound  made  a  magnificent  pageant. 

The  evening  was  delightfull,  the  music  enchanting 
and  the  passengers  full  of  irrepressible  good  humor.  But 
suddenly  in  the  midst  of  their  gaiety,  the  steamer  en 
countered  a  heavy  sea  and  the  hilarity  was  changed. 
Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  much  amused  at  the  peculiar  dis 
comforts  of  his  fellow  passengers,  especially  considering 
their  lugubrious  looks  and  unmitgated  despair  over  the 
inconsequential  conditions  of  sea-sickness.  He  had  never 
known  an  ache  or  pain  in  his  life  except  his  few  light 
afflictions  from  accidents  and  he  confided  to  his  wife 
that  the  whole  thing  came  from  those  people  not  having 
nerve. 

"If  they  had  only  been  brought  up  on  the  plains," 
he  exclaimed,  '  'where  they  had  been  compelled  to  come 


23O  A    CASE    OF    NERNE. 

up  against  blizzards  and  inverted  thermometers,  they 
would  not  be  making  such  spectacles  of  themselves." 

"Don't  tell  your  opinions  to  anyone  but  me,"  advised 
his  wife.  "We're  not  at  Newport  yet." 

The  Westerner  laughed  and  observed  the  passengers 
with  a  kind  of  complacent  superiorty. 

Presently  she  missed  him  and  a  hasty  search  located 
him  in  their  room.  Before  making  her  presence  known 
she  listened  and  heard  a  groan. 

"Are  you  sick?"  she  cried  rushing  in  and  throwing 
her  arms  around  him. 

"Sick,"  he  managed  to  answer,  "I'm  not  only  sick 
but  I'm  dying.  If  I  don't  die  I  will  be  paralyzed  or  a 
cripple  for  life.  Every  joint  in  my  body  is  being  un 
hinged  or  thrown  out  of  socket.  No  system  or  frame 
work  can  stand  it." 

This  WAS  delivered  in  spasmotic  and  disjointed 
utterances  that  betokened  the  most  surpassing  agony. 

His  wife  was  very  sympathetic  and  in  order  to  assure 
him  that  his  was  not  a  special  or  isolated  case  she  said, 
"you  know  it  is  the  universal  testimony  that  for  the  first 
hour  one  fears  he  will  die,  and  the  next  hour  fears  that 
he  wont." 

Lucky   Ten   Bar  sat  upright. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say,"  he  cried,  "that  I've  got  to 
live  two  hours?" 

"Oh,  if  yon  feel  that  way  about  it,"  she  said  sooth 
ingly,  "you  have  evidently  jumped  over  the  first  hour 
into  the  middle  of  the  second,  all  you  have  to  do  is  to 
call  upon  your  supply  of  nerve." 


A    CASE    OF    NERVE.  231 


After  an  other  spasmotic  earthquake,  he  got  his  voice 
again. 

"Nerve!"  he  exclaimed,  "that  s  what's  the  matter 
with  me,  I  have  too  much  nerve,  I  have  more  nerve  than 
this  whole  ship.  It's  playing  on  my  nerves,  it's  jumping 
on  them,  it's  running  a  line  of  trolly  cars  on  every  nerve 
I've  got.  If  I  could  only  throw  up  my  nerves,  I'd  be  all 
right." 

Then  he  collapsed  again. 

"Say,"  he  managed  to  gasp  after  awhile,  "does 
the  captain  think  there  is  any  hope  of  ever  getting 
to  port  in  such  a  storm?  I  can  hear  the  bow  of  the 
steamer  rasp  against  the  sky  and  then  after  about  seven 
seconds  the  the  stern  plows  a  mile  or  two  through  the 
sand  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  quite  feeble  when  the  steamer 
reached  its  destination,  but  he  was  able  to  eat  his  dinner 
at  the  hotel  in  Newport,  in  fact  he  ate  two  dinners,  be 
fore  he  arose  from  the  table. 

"I've  got  the  money  to  pay  for  a  square  meal,"  he 
ejaculated  to  the  surprised  waiter.  "These  samples  you 
have  spread  around  me  are  all  right,  now  bring  on  the 
stuff." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  usually  very  considerate  and 
polite,  but  he  illustrated  the  old  proverb,  "Scratch  a 
Christian  and  you  will  find  a  savage." 

It  seemed  to  him  that  he  hadn't  eaten  a  mouthful  for 
six  months. 

Usually  he  preferred  to  have  his  wife  order  for  him, 
but  this  time  he  ordered  for  all  three. 

'  'O  you  don't  see  the  third  person, "  he  said  sarcastically 


232  A    CASE    OF    NERVE. 


to  the  bewildered  waiter.  "Well  my  wife  is  one  and  I 
am  two  that  makes  three.  I  foot  all  the  bills.  This 
house  will  get  its  money  and  I'll  give  you  your  five  per 
cent  tip  on  the  bill." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar's  wife  had  never  seen  him  in  such  a 
humor. 

"O,  I  have  been  starved  out  of  five  years  growth," 
he  explained.  "I  was  an  untamed  cow-boy  at  the  time 
to  which  this  thing  has  set  me  back,  that's  why  I  act  so 
bad.  I'll  get  over  it  when  my  stomach  gets  caught  up 
with  the  time-table  and  calendar." 

"Does  sea-sickness  effect  all  people  that  way?"  in 
quired  his  wife  of  a  friend  who  had  come  with  them. 

"O  yes,"  was  the  answer.  "The  landlord  here  told 
me  last  year  that  the  hotels  receiving  the  passengers 
consider  it  legitimate  to  report  that  they  feed  a  thous 
and  persons  for  every  five  hundred  who  sit  down  at  their 
tables  from  the  steamers." 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 


IN    THE     "SWIM      AT    NEWPORT. 


Pedro  Santillo  developed  an  unusually  waim  friend 
ship  for  Lucky  Ten  Bar.  When  his  mission  was  fulfilled 
with  his  railroad  magnate  of  New  York,  he  came  on  by 
rail  to  join  his  friends  for  a  few  days  at  Newport.  In 
cidentally  he  brought  from  his  monied  patron,  a  letter  of 


IN    THE     "SWIM"  233 


introduction  that  proved  to  be  an  open  sesame  to  the 
first  "swell"  function  of  the  season.  The  invitation  he 
received  included  his  two  friends  and  after  a  little  persua 
sion  he  induced  them  to  go  with  him. 

At  one  of  the  cottages,  to  which  the  name  mansion 
would  more  properly  apply,  there  was  to  be  a  cotillion, 
which  in  less  dignified  Parisian  style,  other  mortals  knew 
as  the  german. 

"I'd  rather  face  a  whole  gang  of  cattle  thieves,  with 
myself  mounted  on  a  lame  horse  and  with  one  of  my 
arms  in  a  sling,"  protested  Lucky  Ten  Bar. 

But  it  was  an  unusual  opportunity  bestowed  upon 
those  not  to  the  manor  born  and  the  destinguished 
Mexican  ambassador  of  capitalists  insisted  that  he  would 
not  go  unless  his  two  American  friends  would  occompany 
him. 

In  due  time  the  three  friends,  though  not  wearing  as 
costly  gems,  appeared  at  the  appointed  place  appareled 
in  costumes  befitting  the  company  and  the  occasion. 

The  cottage,  almost  concealed  in  a  dainty  grove,  was 
brilliant  as  a  gem  set  in  the  matrix  of  night.  The 
Inxuries  of  art  had  made  the  place  more  delicate  and 
refined  than  a  Sybarite  could  dream. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  drew  a  long  breath. 

"Whew!"  he  exclaimed.  "I  guess  the  saints  would 
be  afraid  to  breathe  in  here.  They  might  foul  the 
exquite  aromas  or  tarnish  the  delicate  tints  of  the  walls." 

In  a  little  while  they  were  ushered  into  the  spacious 
dancing  hall.  A  row  of  chairs  was  placed  in  the  room 
in  a  circle,  a  considerable  space  being  left  in  the  center. 
Partners  were  then  regularly  chosen  for  the  dance,  and 


234  IN  THE   "SWIM"  AT  NEWPORT. 

the  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  placed  alternately  around 
the  circle  seated  in  the  chairs.  However  it  was  soon 
disclosed  that  the  regularly  selected  partners  were  not  to 
dance  with  each  other  but  with  others. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar,  obtained  an  excuse  not  to  take  part 
and  his  wife  took  her  place  with  Pedro  Santillo,  whose 
military  bearing  and  courtly  manners  made  him  a  con 
spicuous  figure. 

The  cotillon  had  two  leaders,  a  gentleman  and  a  lady, 
who  danced  first  all. around  showing  the  figure  to  the 
others.  Then  all  took  part.  At  the  end  of  this  pre 
liminary  dance,  the  guests  retired  and  the  hall  was 
arranged  for  another  form.  When  they  returned,  they 
found  a  lady  who  distributed  the  favors,  seated  on  a 
throne.  The  men  one  by  one  came  before  her  for 
inspection.  She  sat  with  her  back  to  the  suppliants  and 
looked  into  a  mirror.  If  the  apparition  of  the  gentleman 
coming  up  was  not  of  her  choice,  she  took  her  handker 
chief  and  rubbed  it  over  the  glass  as  if  to  wipe  away  the 
unsuitable  image.  When  the  right  man  came  she  laid 
down  the  glass  and  waltzed  around  the  room  with  him. 
Then  another  woman  took  her  place  and  the  same 
performence  ensued  until  every  woman  and  every  man 
had  been  mated. 

"O  my!"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar  on  the  way  back 
to  their  hotel,  "I  pity  those  people  who  have  so  much 
pleasure  that  they  have  to  rack  their  brains  to  distraction 
in  order  to  find  new  ways  to  enjoy  it.  Such  wasted 
energies  and  brain  force  applied  to  cattle  raising  would 
in  a  few  years  feed  the  world." 

Pedro  Santillo  was  to  take  the  train   for  his  return  to 


IN    THE    "SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT.  235 

Mexico  at  two  o'clock  and  as  it  was  near  that  time  when 
they  took  their  carriage  to  leave  the  cottage  where  they 
had  been  so  exquisitely  entertained,  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and 
his  wife  went  with  their  friend  to  see  him  off. 

At  half  past  two  they  reached  their  hotel  just  as 
they  were  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  leading  to  their  room, 
a  resounding  shriek  rang  through  the  house  from  one  ot 
the  upper  halls.  In  a  moment  more  there  was  an  up 
roar  of  cries  and  inquiries.  Scantily  clad  figures  rushed 
out  from  every  room  and  bumped  into  one  another  in  the 
demoralized  effort  to  find  the  way  out.  Every  woman 
was  carrying  her  most  valuable  possession.  Aristocratic 
dogs  and  cats  predominated  but  now  and  then  there  was 
a  mother  with  a  child. 

What  it  was  all  about  no  one  could  tell  but  as  no 
immediate  danger  was  apparent  it  gave  the  hotel 
employees  time  to  investigate  and  the  report  soon 
came  that  one  of  the  guests  in  returning  late  was  met  by 
his  wife  at  the  door,  when  he  unwittingly  stepped  on  an 
explosive  match.  It  supplemented  a  pistol-like  report 
by  setting  fire  to  the  fringe  on  the  rug.  The  woman 
screamed  and  the  man  put  out  the  fire.  That  was  all. 
The  guests  returned  contentedly  to  their  beds  and  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  scored  another  mental  black-mark  against  the 
degenerate  courage  of  the  effete  East. 

Newport  was  so  mathematically  correct  that  it  be 
came  stiffh'ng  to  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  he  persuaded  his 
wife  to  take  immediate  departure  for  Saratoga.  The 
hotel  to  which  they  went  at  Saratoga  was  preparing  for 
an  elaborate  lawn  party  when  they  arrived.  Lucky  Ten 
Bar's  wife  as  usual  met  all  the  requirements  of  the 


236  IN    THE     "SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT. 

fashion  and  custom  by  fitting  him  out  in  a  claw-hammered 
coat  in  which  he  declared  that  he  felt  as  much  as  he 
looked  like  a  blue-jay  that  had  just  emerged  from  an  all- 
day  fight  with  a  crow.  But  the  laws  of  society  are 
inexorable  and  the  honeymooners  appeared  at  the  fete  in 
impeccable  style.  Her  shapely  kid-gloved  hand  was  as 
aristocratic  in  appearance  as  the  most  blue-blooded  in 
the  lot,  but  few  places  in  the  world  could  out-rank  the 
display  of  diamonds  that  the  fair  dames  of  that  noted 
resort  used  as  a  setting  to  their  beauty. 

The  next  day  was  spent  in  driving  around  to  the 
different  springs  and  sparingly  sampling  the  water.  They 
took  dinner  at  the  hotel  on  Saratoga  Lake  where  the 
Saratoga  chips  come  from,  and  were  duly  amused  at  the 
partiality  of  the  guests  for  those  delectable  shavings- 
Saratoga  is  a  place  to  be  admired.  Its  immense  hotels 
and  handsome  private  residences,  its  beautiful  shaded 
promenades  and  boulevards,  its  magnificent  parks  and 
phenomenal  springs,  its  distinguished  society  and  bril 
liant  social  features  awakened  in  Lucky  Ten  Bar  an 
interest  in  society  that  he  had  never  before  known. 
Gathered  here  for  a  few  short  weeks  each  year  are  the 
wealth,  wit,  beauty  and  fashion  of  the  most  eminent 
society.  Millionaires  from  all  departments  of  life  here 
find  and  enjoy  the  ease  and  luxury  which  their  wealth 
seekes  and  provides.  Gay  belles  of  the  season,  matrons 
proud  of  their  social  victories,  arid  gilded  youths  form 
sparkling  coteries.  Here  society  revels  in  a  glorious 
whirl  of  diamond-decked  gayety.  Flowers  bloom  and 
fountains  splash  as  richly  dressed  men  and  women 
promenade  or  roll  by  in  sumptuous  equipages.  The  days 


IN    THE    "SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT.  237 

are  given  up  to  ease,  and  the  nights  dedicated  to  joy  and 
pleasure. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  beginning  to  love  travel.  The 
world  and  its  contents  began  to  assume  an  interest  and 
importance  that  was  beyond  anything  he  had  ever 
dreamed.  He  had  heard  of  Niagara  Falls  many  times 
with  indifference.  Now  he  wanted  to  see  Niagara  Falls. 
In  a  few  days  the  wish  was  gratified. 

"I  thought  the  falls  could  be  heard  forty  miles,"  he 
exclaimed  to  his  wife  in  disappointment.  "Here  we  are 
getting  off  the  train  and  we  don't  hear  anything." 

"It  depends  on  the  keenness  of  one's  ears  and  which 
way  the  wind  is  blowing,  I  suppose,"  she  answered.  "I 
think  I  can  hear  a  deep  roar  that  must  be  caused  by  the 
Falls." 

"Your  ears  beat  mine,"  he  replied  as  they  went  into 
a  hotel  for  breakfast. 

After  breakfast  they  went  out  to  Prospect  Park  and 
from  that  point  obtained  the  first  view  of  that  gorgeous 
spectacle  of  nature. 

Bewildering  indeed  is  this  manifestation  of  power; 
superb  in  its  grandeur,  transcendent  in  its  sublimity.  It 
is  the  crowning  wonder  of  the  world,  and  in  its  creation 
the  Almighty  has  set  His  seal  forever  upon  our  great 
American  continent.  From  the  ends  of  the  earth  people 
have  come  to  see  it,  and  they  have  ever  returned  with  a 
keener  appreciation  of  their  own  insignificance. 

Only  one  individual  has  put  himself  on  record  as 
being  unimpressed  with  the  awful  sublimity  of  the 
stupendous  scene.  He  wrote  on  one  of  the  hotel 
registers,  as  follows: 


238  IN    THE    "SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT. 

"All  the  way  from  Wall  Street, 
I've  come  to  see  this  water  sheet. 
Having  seen  this  water  sheet, 
I'll  now  go  back  to  Wall  Street." 

Securing  a  competent  guide,  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and 
wife  went  to  all  points  of  interest  in  the  park  and  on  the 
islands. 

Preparatory  to  their  visit  to  the  cave  of  the  winds, 
they  put  on  heavy  rubber  clothing  provided  for  that 
purpose,  and  set  forth  on  their  fearful  but  really  safe  and 
secure  journey.  They  found  this  place  to  be  the  space 
behind  the  Falls.  The  rock  over  which  the  streams 
plunge  being  nearly  perpendicular,  and  as  the  water 
shoots  over  from  the  plumb  line,  it  leaves  a  space  be 
tween  it  and  the  rock  into  which  visitors  possessing  nerve 
enough  can  go,  although  there  is  such  a  spray  flying 
that  one  gets  as  wet  as  he  would  in  a  regular  shower. 

"Gracious,"  exclaimed  Lucky  Ten  Bar,  "this  is 
enough  to  make  a  fellow  think  of  his  sins." 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  the  guide,  "that  would  keep 
some  people  pretty  busy  who  come  here.  It's  nearly  as 
good  as  going  to  church  to  make  people  pious." 

Dripping  with  the  spray,  they  came  from  under  the 
Falls,  and  once  more  reached  the  little  bridge  that  spans 
along  from  rock  to  rock  below,  and  over  which  they  had 
come  from  the  stairway. 

While  here  they  stopped  and  looked  up  at  the  tumb 
ling  torrents  so  far  above  them.  Lake  Erie  was  emptying 
itself  madly  at  their  feet. 

Back  again  and  in  their  own  clothes,  they  went  once 
more  to  Luna  Island.  Several  visitors  were  there, 


IN    THE     "SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT.  239 

and  now  that  they  had  seen  all  there  was  to  see,  from 
the  American  side  the  honeymooners  began  to  observe 
who  were  the  visitors. 

Some  were  holding  their  mouths  and  eyes  open  to 
take  it  in;  some  were  gazing  in  mute  admiration,  while 
others  were  gabbling  about  various  points  of  interest  and 
volunteering  all  sorts  of  information,  not  unfrequently  to 
the  disgust  of  those  about  them. 

Their  next  visit  was  to  the  great  suspension  bridge 
that  spans  the  angry  river  from  the  American  to  the 
Canadian  shore. 

It  is  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  river,  and  is  a  mechanical  curiousity, 
well  worthy  of  a  visit  from  a  long  distance  to  see. 

Paying  their  toll,  they  started  to  walk  across. 

The  sight  was  a  beautiful  one,  for  from  this  bridge 
the  eye  can  take  in  the  "Bridal  Veil,"  the  American  and 
Canadian  falls,  and  the  dark  green,  foam  flecked  waters 
of  the  river  below,  as  well  as  the  rapids  above. 

After  observing  the  sight  for  a  long  time  from  their 
vantage  ground,  they  crossed  over  and  stepped  upon  the 
dominions  of  Queen  Victoria,  it  being  the  first  time  that 
either  of  them  had  ever  drawn  breath  under  any  other 
flag  than  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

"This  is  the  place  where  we  should  say,  'Long  live 
the  Queen,'  is  it  not?"  asked  Lucky  Ten  Bar. 

"Yes,"  replied  his  wife,  "but  I  don't  see  as  the  air 
tastes  much  different  here." 

"Oh,  you  are  prejudiced  in  favor  of  the  United  States. 
But  let  us  go  to  the  battlefield  of  Lundy's  Lane.  The 
air  may  have  a  different  flavor  there," 


240  IN    THE     "SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT. 

"All  right;  let's  try  it." 

A  coachman  was  soon  engaged  to  take  them  to  the 
falls  on  that  side  of  the  river,  and  which  is  really  the 
finest  view  of  anywhere,  after  which  they  were  driven  to 
the  bloody  battlefield  of  Lundy's  Lane,  where  General 
Scott  won  the  first  of  his  immortal  honors. 

"It  isn't  a  bloody  field  now,  is  it?"  asked  Lucky  Ten 
Bar,  of  the  driver,  who  was  taking  them  slowly  up  the 
hill  toward  it. 

"No;  but  it's  a  bloody  hard  road  to  get  to  it,"  replied 
the  driver. 

They  were  both  made  familiar  by  the  guide  with  the 
history  of  that  stubborn  fight,  but  being  now  upon  the 
very  spot  where  it  transpired,  made  their  patriotic  blood 
run  quicker  and  their  hearts  swell  with  pride. 

After  listening  to  a  detailed  description  of  the  battle 
by  an  old  man,  they  were  driven  back  to  the  bridge  when 
they  crossed  over  to  their  native  soil. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  opposed  to  any  chance  for 
contracting  sea-sickness,  but  his  wife  wanted  to  visit 
Toronto  by  way  of  Lewistown  and  the  steamer  across 
Lake  Ontario,  and  he  yielded  to  her  wishes.  The  journey 
proved  to  be  a  delightfull  one  and  they  found  Toronto  a 
beautiful  modern  city,  rich  in  architectural  attractions, 
and  containing  many  eminent  institutions  of  learning. 
Its  extensive  parks,  broad  avenues,  and  pleasant  environ 
ments  made  it  exceedingly  interesting. 

So  much  more  entrancing  and  pleasant  was  travel  on 
the  well-appointed  tourist  steamer  of  the  lakes  that  the 
honeymooners  decided  to  go  by  water  to  Montreal. 

In  the  evening  on  the  steamer,  a  party  of  gay  young 


IN    THE     "SWIM       AT    NEWPORT.  24! 

people  organized  a  dance  and  were  in  the  midst  of  a 
lively  waltz  when  they  heard  a  religious  song  from  many 
throats  floating  backward  from  the  bow.  They  soon 
discovered  that  there  was  on  board  a  Sunday  School 
excursion  that  had  opened  up  an  opposition  song  service. 
The  dance  did  not  last  long  and  the  excursionists  soon 
had  the  field  to  themselves. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  steamer  passed  Kingston 
and  soon  began  to  plow  along  among  the  Thousand 
Islands. 

An  island  is  a  joyous  spot  in  Summer.  The  live  elms 
or  towering  ash  whose  thick  foliage  trembles  in  the 
breeze  and  shields  the  smooth  lawn  or  moss-grown  rocks 
from  the  sun's  hot  rays;  the  surrounding  tide  with  its 
sudden  scintillations,  its  deep  calm  shaded  pools  where 
the  fishes  play — these  are  pleasant  things  on  July  days. 
But  a  thousand  such  islands,  varying  in  color  from  the 
dull  gray  of  the  dull  rock  to  the  deep  green  of  the  hardy 
oak  and  rank  willow,  all  rejoicing  in  an  environment  of 
launghing  waters,  swelling  floods,  rushing  torrents,  foam 
and  dashing  spray,  every  islet  and  dancing  riple  pulsating 
with  the  spirit  of  music — such  a  place  is  a  veritable 
Elysium,  a  region  of  rare  delight.  Such  a  place  is  that 
American  archipelago,  the  Thousand  Islands. 

Under  an  agreement  between  the  State  of  New  York 
and  the  Canadian  Government,  the  island  territory  is 
constituted  as  a  great  international  park  and  preserve. 
Many  of  the  most  beautiful  islands  upon  either  side  of 
the  boundary  line  have  been  purchased  and  are  held  in 
their  native  wilderness  as  public  camping  and  picnic 
grounds. 


242  IN    THE    "SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT. 

The  time  when  Lucky  Ten  Bar  stood  most  in  need 
of  nerve  was  when  the  old  Indian  came  aboard  and  took 
the  tiller  to  pilot  them  down  the  Lachine  Rapids.  His 
wife  clung  to  his  arm  and  the  passengers  gathered  in 
scared  groups. 

When  they  were  apparently  headed  for  a  rock  that 
would  send  them  all  to  the  Kingdom  Come,  there  was  a 
rapid  whirl  of  the  wheel,  and  the  steamer  would  glide 
by  as  if  running  down  a  groove.  The  fact  that  the  run 
had  been  made  every  day  for  years  without  an  accident 
braced  each  one  up  with  a  confidence  that  he  was  far 
from  feeling.  When  the  steamer  was  safely  through,  the 
passengers  eagerly  bought  a  picture  of  the  old  Indian 
pilot  as  a  souvenir  of  their  perilous  ride. 

At  Montreal,  Lucky  Ten  Bar  began  for  the  first  time 
to  appreciate  the  history  of  his  country.  The  guide  that 
took  them  from  place  to  place  had  all  the  local  stories  at 
his  tongue's  end.  He  told  glibly  of  many  a  conflict  be 
tween  Indians  and  white  men,  French  and  English,  and 
English  and  Americans.  The  city  is  replete  with  historic 
tablets  and  monuments.  It  is  known  far  and  wide  as  the 
city  of  churches,  and  it  contains  many  worthy  of  careful 
inspection.  The  old  church  of  Notre  Dame,  with  a 
seating  capacity  of  fourteen  thousand,  is  magnificent  in 
its  architecture  and  elaborate  in  its  furnishings.  From 
its  west  tower,  the  great  hall,  named  "Gros  Bourbon," 
awakens  the  surrounding  echoes  with  its  brazen  clanger. 
St.  James  Cathedral,  claimed  to  be  the  largest  church  on 
the  continent,  is  another  grand  structure,  modeled  after 
St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  The  dome  which  is  seventy  feet 
in  diameter,  rises  to  a  height  of  two  hundred  an  fifty 


THE    COLORED    ELDER. 


IN    THE    "SWIM       AT    NEWPORT.  243 


feet.  Christ  Church  Cathedral  is  a  fine  specimen  of 
Gothic  architecture,  beautiful  in  proportions. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  found  most  pleasure  in 
the  magnificent  view  they  obtained  from  the  top  of  Mount 
Royal.  This  famous  eminence  was  so  named  by  Jaques 
Cartier  who  first  ascended  it  in  1535.  It  rises  north  of  the 
city  to  a  height  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  From  its 
summit  the  city  may  be  seen,  with  its  spires  and  domes 
glittering  in  the  sun,  the  palatial  homes  of  its  wealth  and 
the  meaner  dwellings  of  its  poor,  its  broad  avenues  and 
beautiful  parks,  streching  out  in  one  glorious  panorama, 
bounded  in  the  far  distance  by  the  glistening  waters  of 
the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  honeymooners  both  decided  here  that  they  had 
not  yet  seen  enough  of  Canada;  and,  after  a  few  days 
visit  at  Montreal,  they  again  took  the  steamer  down  the 
St.  Lawrence  toward  Quebec. 

The  omniscient  and  ever  present  guide  was  here 
ready  as  elsewhere  to  show  them  the  sights  with  the  least 
inconvenience  and  time.  Interesting  as  was  Montreal  in 
points  of  historical  interest  it  was  not  to  be  compared  to 
Quebec.  Here,  in  fact,  is  the  spot  where  the  refinement 
of  the  old  world  first  touched  the  barbarism  of  the  new, 
and  from  here  early  missionaries  spread  the  seed  of  that 
religious  truth  which  has  since  grown  into  such  a  rich 
harvest  of  Christian  institutions.  To-day  it  stands  as 
one  of  the  most  interesting  cities  of  the  new  world, 
cerainly  the  most  interesting  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 

Its  famous  citadel,  is  the  commanding  military  site 
on  the  continent.  On  its  slopes  Indian,  French,  Egnlish 
and  American  warriors  have  fought  for  supremacy,  and 


244  IN    THE    "SWIM*     AT    NEWPORT. 

bloody  indeed  have  been  their  encounters.  Here  Wolfe 
and  Montcalm  fell,  and  here  on  December  31,  1775,  fell 
General  Montgomery. 

From  the  citadel  height  a  glorious  picture  outspreads 
before  the  eager  and  enchanted  tourists.  From  the  point 
upon  which  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  stood,  they 
could  see  where  the  lily  banner  of  France  and  the  time- 
worn  flag  of  England  had  been  successively  unfurled  in 
token  of  supremacy.  A  short  distance  away  are  the 
plains  of  Abraham,  and  behind  the  Dufferin  Terrace,  in 
the  Governor's  Garden,  stands  the  granite  column  which 
tells  the  story  of  the  battle,  "In  memory  of  Wolfe  and 
Montcalm."  Vanquisher  and  vanquished  lie  silent  in  the 
tomb,  but  their  names  are  linked  together  in  an  unfading 
wreath  of  glory.  Below,  standing  side  by  side,  are  the 
antique  gables,  quain  spires,  and  historic  walls  of  the 
last  century  mingling  with  the  grand  structures  of  the 
present.  Near  at  hand,  upon  the  broad  and  beautiful 
Dufferin  Terrace,  stands  a  magnificent  hotel  with  an  un 
surpassed  view.  Crowning  the  cliffs,  also,  stands  the 
Laval  University,  the  chief  seat  of  French  culture  in  the 
Dominion. 

Across  the  river  the  Lewis  Heights  loom  up  with 
imposing  grandeur,  crowned  with  superior  fortifications. 
From  these  heights  a  magnificent  view  of  the  Mont- 
morency  Falls  can  be  had. 

Further  down  the  river  they  took  a  day  to  visit  the 
grand  and  beautifull  Church  of  Ste.  Anne  de  Beaupre, 
located  at  the  foot  of  the  towering  mountain  of  that 
name.  The  shrine  of  this  justly  celebrated  temple  is 
annually  visited  by  over  one  hundred  thousand  pilgrims, 


EEGLE  ROCK,   RIO  VIGIN,  UTAH. 


IN    THE     '"SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT.  245 

many  of  whom,  cured  by  its  marvelous  water,  leave 
their  crutches  behind.  Two  huge  pyramids  have  been 
reared  of  these  cast-off  appliances.  The  richness  and 
grandeur  of  this  temple  is  scarcely  equalled  in  America. 

Having  now  seen  the  most  interesting  places  of 
eastern  Canada,  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  decided 
to  visit  a  few  more  of  the  most  noted  places  in  their 
native  land  before  going  back  to  the  humble  though 
independent  life  of  ranchmen  on  the  great  plains  of  the 
West. 

They  wanted  to  see  Mount  Washigton  in  the  White 
Mountains  and  there  they  directed  their  way.  The 
romantic  attractions  of  this  place  surpassed  anything 
they  had  yet  seen;  there  were  glens  and  gorges,  streams, 
torrents,  slides,  lakelets  and  waterfalls  unsurpassed  by 
those  of  any  other  in  the  mountain  region. 

No  one  ever  described  the  ocean  so  as  to  give  a  true 
impression  of  it,  or  the  sea-like  extent  of  one  of  our 
western  prairies,  or  the  falls  of  Niagara — and  all  attempts 
to  impress  the  view,  in  a  clear  atmosphere,  from  Mount 
Washington  on  others,  must  be  nearly  futile. 

An  ocean  of  earth  billows,  misty  and  sombre,  reels 
away  to  the  far  horizon  on  every  side,  an  ocean  which 
has,  as  it  were,  by  "stroke  of  the  enchanter's  wand" 
become  suddenly  and  forever  congealed,  and  that  at  a 
moment  when  whirlwind  and  tempest  were  heaving  it 
into  gigantic  surges.  The  visitor  conceives  of  no  better 
comparison  than  the  waste  of  the  melancholy,  tempest- 
ridden  ocean  frozen  in  the  midst  of  a  tempest.  Sun 
shine  and  shadow  chase  each  other  over  the  vast  silent 


246  IN    THE     "SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT. 

area,  light  and  darkness  fleck  its  surface:  but  the  prevail 
ing  feature  is  one  of  shadow  and  gloom. 

Far  in  the  north  is  Moosehead  Lake,  looking  like  a 
strip  of  burnished  silver  amidst  a  region  over  which  the 
shadows  of  night  have  fallen.  There  too  is  Mount 
Kineo,  and  the  elephantine  summit  of  Catahdin  crouching 
beyond.  Westerly  are  the  Green  Mountains  of  Vermont 
rolling  along  the  outer  edge  of  the  circle  like  the  humps  of 
great  sea  serpent,  and  more  than  a  hundred  miles  distant 
to  the  south-west  is  Mout  Monadnock,  peeping  over  the 
intervening  ridges  as  if  playing  at  hide-and-go-seek  with 
some  other  Titan  a  hundred  or  two  miles  off. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  went  to  the  summit  in  a 
tally-ho  coach  up  the  east  side  of  the  mountain  to  the 
Tip-Top  hotel  and  returned  down  the  mountain  railway 
running  from  the  summit  to  Fabyans. 

It  was  an  interesting  thing  to  them  to  see  the  difficult 
ies  of  the  extremely  steep  grade,  thirty-five  hundred  and 
ninety-six  feet  in  three  miles,  overcome  by  the  ingenious 
application  of  the  cog-wheel  principle  to  the  locomotive 
and  track. 

The  honeymooners  had  by  this  time  developed  about 
all  the  characteristics  of  globe-trotters  and  were  in  every 
way  full-fledged  tourists.  As  they  were  now  not  far 
from  Portland,  they  decided  to  visit  that  famous  place, 
and  thus  whatever  neglect  there  had  been  in  their  child 
hood  to  the  study  of  geography,  they  would  now  make  it 
up  in  actual  experience. 

The  "Beautiful  City  by  the  Sea"  as  Longfellow  so 
poetically  called  it,  is  the  gateway  to  innumerable  natural 


BRIGHAM  YOUNG  AND  H»  WIVES. 


corrxiCrHT  ISM  BY  THE  JOHNSON  co.,  SALT  LAKE:  CITY,  UTAH 

MEMTS       WILL    BE      RI&IB1.Y      PROSECUTE.  C. 


IN    THE     "SWIM"    AT    NEWPORT.  247 

beauties  and  cool  retreats.  It  consists  of  a  small  pen 
insula  which  projects  into  Casco  Bay,  including  several 
islands  within  a  few  miles  distance. 

The  guide  took  them  to  see  the  homes  of  noted  men 
and  discoursed  learnedly  on  their  virtues  and  achieve 
ments.  They  visited  numerous  Summer  resorts,  and 
spent  a  day  watching  the  fishermen  and  studying  their 
quaint  character  and  methods. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  now  began  to  turn 
their  thoughts  homeward  and  westward.  One  place  of 
great  historical  interest  yet  remained,  and  that  was 
Boston  the  metropolis  of  New  England.  In  a  few  days 
they  were  sampling  baked  beans  and  brown  bread  in  the 
home  of  the  nativity  of  those  famous  articles.  The 
narrow  thoroughfares  as  compared  with  the  broad  streets 
of  Western  cities  excited  astonishment  in  the  Westerner, 
but  the  ever  ready  guide  explained  it  all  and  carried  him 
and  his  bride  to  every  point  of  interest  and  made  them 
fairly  well  acquainted  with  the  interesting  history  of 
Boston.  The  Commons,  the  Fulton  Market,  Fanuel 
Hall  and  the  Bunker  Hill  monument  became  never  fading 
pictures  in  their  memory. 

While  at  Boston  a  letter  reached  them  from  New 
York,  inquiring  if  there  was  anything  that  could  head 
them  off  or  turn  them  homeward.  Mother  McQuinn  was 
becoming  alarmed  about  her  runaway  children.  She 
began  to  fear  that  they  might  have  become  travel  crazy 
and  that  they  might  not  stop  till  they  had  exhausted 
their  funds.  That  was  a  calamity,  the  bare  possibility 
of  which,  was  enough  to  keep  the  wires  hot  with  in 
quiries  and  protestations  from  Mother  McQuinn. 


248  WESTWARD. 


At  last  she  received  an  answer  that  gave  her  a  mea 
sure  of  peace.  The  telegram  read:  "We  will  take  a 
steamer  next  Saturday  morning  down  the  Hudson  from 
Albany." 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 


WESTWARD    HO!  


The  honeymooners  whom  Mrs.  McQuinn  had  begun 
to  regard  as  hopeless  runaways,  reached  Albany  and 
promptly  took  in. all  the  sights  from  the  spectacular  and 
fabulously  costly  state  house  to  the  busy  docks  of  the 
Charnplain  and  Erie  canals. 

Then  they  set  off  swiftly  for  the  famous  Catskills 
where  Rip  Van  Winkle  awoke  from  his  long  sleep  and 
cast  his  eyes  upon  the  mountains  and  valleys  which  were 
destined  in  later  years  to  become  among  the  most  noted 
of  America's  summer  retreats. 

There  the  youthful  and  sprightly  tourists  found  that 
fashion  and  wealth  had  invaded  these  mountain  fastnesses, 
and  erected  palatial  hotels  and  handsome  chateaux, 
where  summer  idlers  pass  their  leisure  hours.  Happily 
the  New  York  millionaires  who  have  absorbed  these 
mountains  for  their  summer  homes  have  respected  the 
primeval  forests  and  their  pristine  beauty,  and  there  still 
remain  the  quiet  roads,  the  sparkling  streams,  and  the 
cloud-capped  peaks  which  were  the  familiar  companions 


WESTWARD.  249 


of  Irving's  heroes.  Here  is  found  preeminently  America's 
land  of  song  and  story,  a  region  whose  legends,  im 
mortalized  by  America's  finest  story-tellers,  will  live  to 
give  pleasure  to  young  and  old  as  long  as  the  mountains 
stand  and  the  lordly  Hudson  rolls  on  to  the  sea. 

After  a  delightful  ride  down  the  Hudson  they  came 
within  view  of  the  suburbs  of  New  York.  Past  the 
Palisades  on  one  side  and  the  Jersey  Hills  on  the  other 
the  towering  monument  of  America's  greatest  General 
came  in  sight  bringing  a  thrill  of  patriotic  sentiment  to 
all  American  tourists.  The  achievements  of  General 
Grant  was  in  every  one's  mind  as  the  magnificent  tomb 
could  be  seen  outlined  against  the  sky.  It  was  a  clear 
day  and  the  weaving  net-work  of  great  ocean  grey 
hounds,  swift-flying  yachts  and  steamers,  heavy  laden  sail 
ing  vessels  and  ferry  boats  formed  a  picture  on  the  broad 
sheet  of  water  from  Grant's  tomb  to  the  Statue  of  Liberty 
that  could  never  be  forgotten.  Nothing  like  it  exists 
elsewhere  in  the  world  to  so  quicken  the  pulse  of  am 
bitious  youth  and  fill  the  mind  of  the  beholder  with  awe 
at  the  activity  and  restless  energy  of  Man. 

Mother  McQuinn  was  at  the  wharf  to  welcome  her 
returning  children.  She  had  everything  ready  for  their 
immediate  departure  westward  and  their  thought  now 
turned  eagerly  to  their  distant  home  and  the  domestic 
happiness  they  were  idealizing  for  the  peaceful  life  of 
Paradise  Valley. 

Mother  McQuinn  had  an  abundance  of  hard  Irish 
wit  but  she  had  never  been  off  of  Manhattan  Island  since 
she  had  come  there  as  a  young  girl  from  Ireland  except 


WESTWARD. 


for  the  visit  she  had  paid  to  some  friends  at  the  end  of 
the  great  bridge  over  in  Brooklyn. 

The  family  took  the  train  to  Philadelphia  and  spent 
a  day  in  visiting  the  relics  of  colonial  times  and  the  early 
days  of  national  life  to  be  found  in  Independence  hall. 
They  visited  the  grave  of  Benjamin  Franklin  in  the 
corner  of  the  cemetary  a  few  blocks  away  and  drove 
through  Fairmont  park.  The  next  morning  they  went 
to  the  great  railroad  station  next  to  the  magnificent  city 
hall  and  took  their  seats  in  the  observation  car  that  was 
to  carry  them  toward  the  vast  wilds  of  the  new  world. 
Through  great  mining  regions  they  sped  and  the  Alle- 
ghanies  began  to  loom  up  on  each  side. 

"Now  we  are  coming  to  the  fine  scenery"  exclaimed  a 
commercial  traveller  to  Lucky  Ten  Bar  as  they  neared 
Horseshoe  bend.  "You  are  in  a  net  of  snow-capped 
peaks  that  tickle  the  nose  of  the  man  in  the  moon  every 
night." 

"Do  tell,"  cried  Mother  McQuinn,  "what  an  inter 
esting  sight  that  must  be." 

"Yes,"  continued  the  inveterate  Munchausan,  "in  the 
center  of  that  place  the  train  runs  around  a  tree  three 
times  and  the  reporters  stand  on  the  back  end  of  the  car 
and  interview  the  hoboes  that  are  riding  on  the  cow 
catcher." 

The  place  thus  described  was  awaited  with  absorbing 
interest,  but  the  drummer  was  out  of  the  car  at  the 
critical  time  when  the  old  lady  might  have  severely 
rebuked  him  for  his  prevarications,  that  is  if  she  could 
have  been  sure  that  he  was  stretching  the  truth  a  little. 

They  passed  on  to  Johnstown   and   were   anxious  to 


V     * 


THE  AMELIA  PALACE,   SALT  LAKE  CITY,   UTAH.     Resclence  of  Amelia  B. 
Young,  favorite  wife  of  Brigham  Young. 


LION     AND    REKIIIVK    HOUSKS,     SALT    LAKE    CITY,     UTAH. 

Home  of  Brigham  Young's  wives. 


WESTWARD.  251 


see  the  Conemough  valley  where  five  thousand  men, 
women  and  children  were  taken  in  a  few  minutes  to 
eternity  by  the  monstrous  flood.  In  the  few  hours  thaf 
the  travellers  had  before  night,  they  went  over  the 
scenes  of  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  disastrous  floods 
since  the  days  of  Noah  and  listened  to  the  many  tales  of 
hair-breadth  escapes.  Their  guide  was  dramatic  in  his 
hair-raising  recitals  and  ended  with  the  story  of  how 
Daniel  Peyton  and  his  horse  lost  their  lives  in  the  heroic 
race  they  made  down  the  valley  and  through  the  town  to 
warn  the  people  of  the  coming  flood.  As  he  bade  them 
good-bye  he  recited  a  poem  written  in  the  hero's  honor. 
The  last  lines  were  as  follows: 

The  rythmic  ring  of  a  horse's  feet 

Echoes  along  the  city's  street, 
And  the  idle  crowd  swarm  out  to  see 

Whom  may  the  reckless  rider  be. 

With  bloodless  face  and  blazing  eyes 

He  dashes  on,  as  he  wildly  cries, 
"Fly!  for  the  river's  flood  is  near! 

Fly!  for  the  awful  flood  is  here!" 

He  passes  and  they  stand  amazed 

Then  just  as  they  think  the  rider  crazed, 

Some  mischief  breeding  &ddle  pate, 
They  behold,  they  see  and  fly  to  late." 

The  travellers  took  the  early  train  to  Pittsburg,  and  the 
rapidity  with  which  these  expert  tourists  whirled  the  old 
lady  about  fairly  took  her  breath  away. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  secured  a  permit  at  the  Pittsburg 
offices  to  go  through  the  great  iron-works  at  Homestead 
and  the  first  day  was  spent  in  seeing  the  bewildering 


252  WESTWARD. 


power  which  the  ingenuity  of  man  has  been  able  to  exert 
through  the  mechanical  forces  of  nature.  The  seathing 
caldrons  of  molten  iron,  the  roaring  furnaces,  and  the 
gigantic  hammers  pounding  into  shape  vast  bodies  of 
glowing  metal,  looked  more  like  the  magical  work  of 
deamons  than  of  men. 

"Ah,  go  on!"  exclaimed  Mother  McQuinn,  crossing 
herself  in  pious  horror,  "I'm  not  so  bad  that  ye  should 
bring  my  poor  old  body  to  this  roasting  place.  It's 
warning  enough  you  have  given  me.  I'll  fix  it  so  masses 
enough  can  be  said  for  my  soul  to  keep  me  out  of  this 
horrid  place." 

No  persuasion  could  induce  her  to  believe  that  this 
was  not  the  place  of  lost  souls  and  that  the  half  naked 
and  grimy  puddlers  were  not  the  imps  of  Satan,  so  they 
took  the  first  train  for  Cincinnati!.  There  she  insisted  on 
spending  the  day  in  the  old  church  in  the  center  of  the 
city  where  she  could  confess  herself  from  the  wicked 
place  she  had  been  through  and  be  absolved  from  all  the 
awful  consequences  her  imagination  had  thrust  upon  her 
conscience. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  took  the  opportunity  to 
board  an  electric  car  for  the  fort  across  the  river  a  few 
miles  over  in  Kentucky.  When  they  returned  they  found 
the  old  lady  at  their  hotel  feeling  much  relieved  and 
ready  to  continue  the  journey. 

Aboard  the  westward  bound  train,  she  left  everything 
with  child-like  simplicity  to  her  two  children  whom  she 
believed  to  be  the  most  perfect  and  brainy  persons  that 
ever  walked  the  earth. 

However,  she  met  the  usual  ridiculous   difficulties  of 


GRAVE    OF    BRIGHAM    YOUNG,     SALT    LAKE    CITY,     UTAH. 

Brigham  Young  is  buried  in  the  enclosure  the  other  graves  are  his  wives. 


INTERIOR    OF    MORMON     TABERNACLE,    SALT    LAKE    CITY,    UTAH. 


WESTWARD.  .253 


those  old  people  who  have  never  travelled  and  who  for 
the  first  time  in  their  lives  are  required  to  go  to  bed  in 
the  berth  of  a  sleeper. 

In  due  time  after  night-fall  the  porter  of  the  car 
began  to  hang  up  the  curtains,  to  set  up  the  partitions, 
and  to  make  up  the  sleeping  berths. 

"What  are  they  doing,"  she  asked,  as  she  caught 
sight  of  what  was  going  on. 

Lucky  Ten   Bar  looked  around  to  see. 

"Why,  Mother,  they're  making  up  the  beds!" 

She  looked  aghast  at  the  preparations. 

"I  always  heard,"  she  exclaimed  to  her  son-in-law, 
"that  rich  people  were  frightfully  immoral  but  I  never 
believed  it  till  now.  Surely  you  and  daughter  aint  going 
to  countenance  such  goings  on.  Let's  go  back  to  the 
car  that's  got  only  seats." 

Mother  McQuinn's  shocked  modesty  was  taken  charge 
of  by  her  daughter  and  a  ludicrous  scene  was  narrowly 
averted. 

However  the  inevitable  amusement  came  in  the 
morning.  The  upper  berth  was  unfortunately  occupied 
by  an  old  gentleman  who  had  not  particularly  endeared 
himself  to  the  passengers  on  account  of  the  fact  that  his 
choicest  companion  was  a  delectable  bit  of  tobacco  which 
he  incessantly  manipulated  with  short  quick  jerks  of  a 
rather  attenuated  jaw. 

When  Mother  McQuinn  awoke  in  the  morning  and 
peered  out,  she  was  horrified  to  see  that  her  false  teeth 
had  fallen  from  under  her  pillow  to  the  floor.  To  add 
to  her  discomfort  a  gentleman  with  whom  she  had  been 
on  very  friendly  terms  the  day  before  was  coming  up  the 


254  WESTWARD. 


aisle  and  would  surely  see  them.  Making  a  quick  grab  she 
caught  them  up  and  thrust  them  into  her  mouth.  In  a 
moment  there  was  a  ghostly  yell  and  such  a  sputtering 
that  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  rushed  to  her  berth 
followed  by  the  porter  and  the  bewildered  gentleman 
coming  up  the  aisle,  to  see  if  a  tragedy  wa.s  not  taking 
place  and  the  old  lady  strangling  to  death.  The  set  of 
teeth  flew  out  into  the  aisle  again  and  there  was  another 
burst  of  groans. 

"Water!  water!"  she  cried,   "bring  me  some  water." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  ran  with  all  speed  for  a  cup  of  water. 

She  took  a  gurgle  of  the  liquid  and  spat  it  out  into 
the  aisle. 

"There,"  she  cried,  "I've  cleaned  my  mouth  from 
that  horrid,  beastly  man's  tobacco.  Give  him  his  teeth. 
I  thought  they  were  mine." 

The  wheezy  little  old  man  above  reached  out  his 
hand  and  took  the  teeth  from  the  hands  of  the  porter. 

Mother  McQuinn  refused  to  stay  in  the  same  car  with 
the  tobacco-chewing  old  gentleman  during  the  rest  of  his 
stay  on  tbe  train. 

Though  the  journey  across  the  central  states  was 
almost  void  of  enlivening  natural  scenery,  it  was  not 
devoid  of  amusement  and  interest. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  continually  comforted  Mother  Me 
Quinn  with  the  assurance  that  they  were  within  two  or 
three  states  of  Paradise  Valley. 

Just  before  crossing  the  Wabash  river  some  unlucky 
railroader  left  a  switch  only  partly  closed  and  the  result  was 
that  the  train  ran  its  full  length  on  the  cross  ties  before 
it  could  be  stopped.  Along  with  the  rest  Mother  McQuinn 


CASCADE",   BULLION  CANON,   UTAH. 


WESTWARD.  255 


spent  the  time  like  a  shuttle  between  the  seat  and  the 
roof. 

As  soon  as  the  train  stopped  and  she  could  get  her 
breath,  she  asked  a  portly  commercial  traveller  who  had 
been  deposited  by  the  train  at  her  feet,  the  question 
uppermost  in  her  mind. 

"Mister  ,"  said  she,   "is  this  Paradise  Valley?" 

"No!"  he  roared  as  he  got  to  his  feet.  "This  is 
either  catastrophe  or  calamity." 

The  conductor  came  running  up. 

She  caught  him  by  the  arm. 

"Is  this  Catastrophe  or  Calamity?" 

"Neither,  madame,"  he  exclaimed  rushing  on.  "It's 
Hades." 

In  after  years  when  telling  her  friends  of  the  journey 
from  New  York  to  Paradise  Valley  she  never  failed  to 
tell  of  the  shaking  up  she  got  in  Hades. 

The  youthful  sightseers  wanted  to  stop  over  at  East 
St.  Louis  but  when  Mother  McQuinn  saw  the  flaming 
chimeys  of  iron  foundries  there,  they  couldn't  get  her  off 
the  train,  and  so  were  carried  over  the  Eads'  bridge  and 
through  the  long  tunnel  to  the  Grand  Union  Station. 

A  visit  to  Shaw's  wondeiful  garden  of  flowers  soothed 
her  greatly,  and  in  contrast  she  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  St.  Louis  was  comparatively  a  godly  city. 


256  MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 


MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING. 


When  Mother  McQuinn  arrived  at  the  Union  Depot 
in  Kansas  City,  she  began  to  make  anxious  inquiry  about 
how  much  longer  it  would  take  for  them  to  reach 
Paradise  Valley.  According  to  her  estimate,  they  ought 
to  be  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Nebraska  by  this  time, 
and  yet  she  could  see  no  evidence  of  the  approaching  end 
of  the  interminable  journey. 

This  put  a  mischievous  idea  into  Lucky  Ten  Bar's 
head.  He  went  to  the  ticket  office  for  a  bit  of  private 
investigation.  As  he  returned,  he  smiled  with  the 
anticipations  of  a  good  joke,  when  he  put  away  in  his 
pocket  a  ticket,  not  for  Omaha,  but  for  Denver.  Then 
he  took  his  family  out,  and  put  them  aboard  a  streetcar. 
In  a  few  minutes  it  began  to  crawl  up  a  hill  like  a 
mountain  goat.  This  was  no  joke,  and  each  one 
instinctively  grasped  a  seat,  and  the  women  were  barely 
able  to  suppress  a  scream.  Next  the  car  plunged  down 
ward  as  if  to  butt  its  brains  out  against  the  pavement 
that  seemed  to  rise  perpendicularly  in  the  next  hill. 
They  decided  that  Kansas  City  is  a  peculiar  place. 

True,  the  business  is  bunched  in  close,  narrow  streets 
in  a  valley  and  on  the  sides  of  steep  hills,  but  the  energy 
of  the  people,  however,  has  overcome  the  unkindness  of 
nature;  and  the  result  is  a  most  wonderful  system  of 


TEMPLE    BLOCK,    SALT    LAKE    CITY,     UTAH. 


*    £4U          *    ^  *j.  'i.     *4i*    ' 


SALTAIR    BKACH    AND    PAVILLION,     SALT    LAKE    CITY,      UTAH. 


MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING.  257 

cable  cars,  as  perfect  and  thorough  in  all  details,  perhaps 
as  can  be  found  in  the  United  States.  These  lines  make 
all  sorts  of  impossible  ascents  and  descents;  the  cars 
rush  up  ridiculously  steep  hills  and  plunge  down  an 
alarming  grade  nearly  as  acute  as  the  side  of  a  house, 
around  curves,  and  across  level  stretches  at  a  very  fast 
rate  of  speed. 

Mother  McQuinn  begged  so  hard  to  return  and  get  on 
as  quickly  as  possible  to  Paradise  Valley,  that  they  took 
a  returning  car,  and  were  soon  landed  again  at  the  Union 
Depot. 

As  the  Denver  train  came  up,  Lucky  Ten  Bar  took 
his  family  aboard,  both  of  the  women  being  ignorant  of 
the  journey  before  them,  and  Mother  McQuinn  protesting 
that  it  took  as  long  as  going  around  the  world  three  times 
to  get  to  Paradise  Valley. 

"Great  country  you've  got  here,"  said  a  bustling  little 
gentleman  to  Lucky  Ten  Bar  in  the  course  of  the  day's 
ride.  "Great  people  too.  Great  heads  also.  Wonderful 
how  everybody  remembers  things.  Look  at  that  con 
ductor.  He  has  over  five  hundred  passengers  under  his 
charge.  They  have  all  come  in  at  different  stations. 
They  get  out  at  different  stations.  As  they  come  in,  he 
collects  their  tickets.  That's  settled;  he  remembers  the 
destination  of  every  one  of  them.  Not  one  would  he 
allow  to  travel  further  than  the  station  he  bought  a  ticket 
for.  In  Europe  when  the  conductor  has  examined  your 
ticket,  he  locks  the  door  of  your  compartment  to  be  sure 
of  you  at  the  next  stop." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  was  interested  in  this  eulogy  of  his 
countrymen  by  a  foreigner.  He  took  up  the  conversation 


MATCALESS    SIGHT    SEEING. 


with  considerable  relish  at  hearing  his  native  land  thus 
praised. 

"I  was  standing"  he  continued,  "not  far  from  the 
clerk's  desk  in  the  hotel  at  Denver,  but  unseen  by  him 
in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  after  registering,  when  a 
man  called  for  me.  Before  I  could  answer,  the  clerk 
said:  "Here  Bob,  see  if  427  is  in.  That  was  the  number 
of  my  room. 

"I  have  watched  hotel  clerks  sort  hundreds  of  letters 
and  place  them,  one  after  another,  in  the  boxes  of  the 
rack,  without  once  looking  at  the  register  for  reference. 

"You  may  live  at  one  of  the  big  hotels  in  London  for 
a  year.  Every  time  you  take  the  elevator  the  attendant 
will  ask  you:  "What  floor?"  After  you  have  once  told 
the  negro  boy  who  runs  the  elevator  of  any  American 
hotel  what  floor  you  are  on,  he  knows  where  to  land  you. 

"I  have  seen  boys  stand  outside  the  dining  room  of 
American  hotels  and  receive  in  rapid  succession  as  many 
as  a  hundred  hats,  all  derbys,  all  alike,  no  name  inside, 
no  possible  way  to  distinguish  one  from  another.  The 
owners  of  those  hats  came  out  in  an  altogether  different 
order  from  the  way  they  went  in.  The  boys  handed  the 
hats  to  those  people  without  once  making  a  mistake. 

In  Europe,  if  seven  men  go  in  together  and  hand 
their  hats  to  the  door-keeper,  he  is  perfectly  helpless, 
and  the  men  have  to  paw  around  after  their  own  hats. 
O!  it's  wonderful,  this  country,  these  people,  and  their 
great  heads." 

"But  I  don't  see  how  people  make  their  living  out 
here  on  the  vast  plains,"  he  continued,  motioning  with  a 
jeweled  hand  at  the  vast  tracts  of  uncultivated  land  to 


MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING.  259 

be  seen  through  the  car  window.  "I  dontt  see  what  they 
live  on." 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  tried  to  reciprocate  with  the  desired 
information.  "But  how  do  you  get  bread  out  of  these 
barren  plans?"  he  inquired. 

"Why  there  are  numerous  ranches,"  replied  Lucky 
Ten  Bar. 

"Ranches,  eh?  Are  those  ranches  encountered  very 
frequently  along  the  route?"  asked  the  stranger. 

He  assured  the  traveller  that  there  was  a  ranch  at 
least  every  five  or  ten  miles  along  the  road  all  the  way 
across  the  plains  to  Denver. 

"Ranches!"  he  again  exclaimed,  with,  a  puzzled  ex 
pression.  "Are  these  ranches  a  very  difficult  game  to 
shoot?" 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  almost  collapsed.    Then  he  explained. 

"That's  a  smoke  on  me,"  said  the  foreigner.  "Let's 
go  into  the  smoker.  Come  to  think  of  it,  I  have  heard 
of  ranches,  but  from  the  way  you  spoke,  I  thought  they 
were  some  kind  of  buffalo.  But  I  didn't  miss  it  very  far 
since  they  are  places  where  the  cows  grow." 

But  foreigners  are  little  to  be  blamed  for  their  igno 
rance  of  the  United  States,  when  it  is  considered  how 
little  the  average  American  knows  of  his  own  country. 

What  some  Americans  have  failed  to  learn,  or  to 
appreciate,  in  regard  to  the  majestic  continent  they  have 
honored  by  permitting  it  to  become  their  native  land, 
would  furnish  a  pretty  foundation  for  omniscience,  and 
leave  several  items  of  valuable  information  over  for 
inferior  intelligences.  What  the  typical  Easterner  never 
read,  or  heard,  or  imagined,  of  that  vast  and  varied 


260  MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING. 


empire,  vaguely  characterized  as  The  West,  includes 
about  all  there  is  to  be  told  or  written  of  it.  To  a  New 
Yorker,  America  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Spitting 
Devil  and  the  Harlem  quagmires  and  goat-pastures,  on 
the  south  by  Greenwood  Cemetery  and  Coney  Island 
wooden  elephants,  on  the  east  by  Hell-Gate,  and  on  the 
west  by  Hoboken  and  jersey  lightning.  To  a  Bostonian, 
the  sun  rises  over  Fort  Warren,  strikes  high  noon  above 
Bunker  Hill  monument,  and  sets  just  behind  Back  Bay. 
Half  the  world — a  mighty  hemisphere,  incomparable  in 
grandeur,  incomputable  in  riches,  and  illimitable  in 
possibilities, — lies  west  of  all  their  geographies. 

Mother  McQuinn  claimed  that  she  was  nearly  dead 
when  they  arrived  at  Denver.  She  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  rest  for  a  few  days  at  a  hotel  and  this  gave  Lucky  Ten 
Bar  and  his  wife  the  chance  they  wanted  to  go  sight 
seeing  alone. 

With  Mother  McQuinn  comfortably  located  they  lost 
no  time  in  taking  in  the  startling  variety  of  mountain 
grandeur. 

Monotony  is  an  unknown  quantity  in  Colorado,  unless 
it  is  the  monotonous  sublimity  of  eternal  beauty  that  is 
present  everywhere,  while  grandeur  greets  the  reverent 
eyes  of  all  who  traverse  the  fastnesses  of  her  Rocky 
Mountains,  those  everlasting  hills,  that  tower,  snow- 
crowned,  as  if  to  pierce  the  bright  and  stainless  blue. 

Every  variety  of  scenery  can  be  found  in  Colorado, 
from  the  incomprehensible  wideness  of  the  level  plain, 
extending  to  the  far  horizon's  rim,  to  the  vastness  of  the 
mountains,  climbing  the  splintered  pinnacles  to  the  very 
zenith.  Canons  whose  abysmal  depths  awe  the  soul, 


MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING.  26 1 

valleys  whose  Arcadian  loveliness  delight  the  heart,  rivers 
whose  rushing  waters  thrill  with  their  tumultous  sweep, 
mountains  whose  serried  ranks  terrify  with  their  stup 
endous  magnificence,  forests  whose  frost-touched  foliage 
glows  with  tints  of  fire  or  gloom  with  the  dark  beauty  of 
balsamic  pines,  brooks  crystal  in  their  clearness,  singing 
sylvan  songs  over  golden  gravel',  waterfalls  like  festoons 
of  filmy  lace  ornamented  with  a  fret-work  of  diamond 
water  drops,  flowers  that  "paint  the  meadows  with 
delight,"  or  bloom  amidst  eternal  snows,  all  these  are 
found  in  this  land  and  form  a  symphony  whose  haunting 
beauty,  once  having  been  experienced,  can  never  be  for 
gotten. 

Variety  is  the  striking  characteristic  of  Colorado 
scenery.  Canons,  peaks  and  passes  awe  the  beholder 
with  their  grandeur,  but  lakes,  whose  crystal  mirrors 
reflect  the  cerulean  hues  of  peaceful,  overarching  skies, 
abound — hundreds  of  them  unhonored  and  unsung — but 
others  known  to  the  lovers  of  the  beautiful  and  enshrined 
in  the  annals  of  literature.  . 

Every  mood  of  man  finds  here  an  answering  mood  in 
nature.  The  valleys  smile  with  gentle  contentment,  the 
brooks  laugh  with  jocund  glee,  the  rivers  rage  with  savage 
fury  in  their  wild  race  throuh  the  rocky  channels,  the 
canons  frown  with  somber  gloom,  the  mountains  gaze  with 
majesty  on  the  placid  plains.  The  story  of  Colorado 
gold  camps  with  their  dramatic  movement,  tragic  tints 
of  color,  and  episodes  of  humor  and  pathos,  makes  strong 
material  for  history;  and  the  narrative  of  the  struggles 
and  triumphs  of  those  pioneers,  who  sat  down  before  the 


262  MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING. 

mountain  walls  to  build   a  state,    is   romantic,    and    par 
takes  of  the  heroic. 

Senor  Vasquez,  Fransisco  Coronado,  Spanish  hidalgo, 
headed  an  expedition  into  this  country  in  i  540-42.  Like 
all  dreamers  of  his  day, — those  real  knights  of  conquest 
and  adventure — -he  believed  the  country  to  be  filled  with 
gold.  He  records  that  be  explored  very  thoroughly,  but 
found  none.  It  is  probable  that  Senor  Coronado  was 
not  as  keen  a  gold-seeker  as  the  average  prospector  of 
today,  for  he  must  have  trod  on  millions  of  precioi^s 
metal  in  his  wandering.  There  is  a  long  "time  gulf"  as 
the  voice  of  the  old  Spanish  explorer  dies  away.  The 
Spanards  and  the  Indians  possessed  the  country,  and 
traded  and  intermarried  and  swindled  one  another  in  a 
genial  way,  with  great  mutual  satisfaction.  There  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  any  exploring  expeditions  or 
other  invaders  for  a  long  time,  and  the  people  had  a  rest 
for  a  matter  of  i  50  years.  Colorado  was  a  part  of  the 
"Louisiana  Purchase."  in  1803;  and  in  the  autumn  of 
1806,  Captain  Zebulon  Pike  was  exploring  in  the  valleys 
of  Arkansas.  Coming  north,  his  attention,  day  by  day, 
was  attracted  toward  a  great  mountain  peak,  which 
seemed  to  beckon.  So  he  came  into  these  gorgeous 
passes,  and  tried,  in  an  amateur  sort  of  way,  to  get  to 
the  top  of  the  mountain.  In  his  travels,  which  were 
published  in  1810,  is  recorded  the  story  of  his  attempt, 
which  failed  most  ingloriously.  He  never  ascended  that 
lofty  peak,  but,  in  the  pathetic  language  of  today,  "he 
got  there  just  the  same,"  by  giving  his  name  to  the 
mountain,  and  hence  it  is  Pike's  Peak  even  unto  this  day. 
This  bad  example  has  found  base  imitators  up  to  the 


MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING.  263 

present,  for  there  are  tourists  who  will  stoutly  aver  that 
they  have  been  there  also  and  witnessed  the  sunrise. 
Captain  Pike  deposes  concisely  as  follows:  "We  com 
menced  ascending,  found  it  very  difficult,  being  obliged 
to  climb  up  rocks,  sometimes  almost  perpendicular;  and 
after  marching  almost  all  day,  we  camped  in  a  cave 
without  blankets,  victual  or  water.  We  had  a  fine  clear 
sky,  whilst  it  was  snowing  at  the  bottom.  Some  dis 
tance  up  we  found  buffalos,  higher  still  a  new  species  of 
deer  and  pheasants.  On  arriving  at  the  summit  of  the 
chain,  we  found  the  snow  middle  deep;  no  sign  of  bird  or 
beast  inhabiting  this  region.  The  summit  of  the  grand 
peak,  which  was  entirely  bare  of  vegetation,  and  covered 
with  snow,  now  appeared  to  the  distance  of  fifteen  or 
sixteen  miles  from  us,  and  as  high  again  as  what  we  had 
ascended,  and  would  have  taken  a  whole  day's  march  to 
arrive  at  its  base,  when  I  believe  no  human  being  could 
have  acsended  to  its  pinnacle."  The  truth  is  that  the 
gallant  officer  had  taken  the  wrong  trail,  and  emerged  on 
a  mountain  spur  fifteen  miles  distant  from  the  peak 
proper. 

Col.  S.  H.  Long  next  visited  Colorado  in  1820, 
named  a  peak  after  him,  and  went  away.  He  didn't 
climb  his  mountain  either. 

"Pathfinder"  Fremont  came  along  in  1843,  ar>d  the 
report  of  his  exploration  first  awaked  public  interest  in 
the  territory.  Curiously,  Fremont  found  no  gold.  Both 
Pike  and  Long  bore  testimony  with  him  to  the  great  min 
eral  wealth  of  the  country,  but  reported  no  discovery  of 
precious  metals.  The  next  year  Fremont's  expedition 
returned  from  California  by  another  route,  and  thoroughly 


264  MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING. 

explored  North,  Middle  and  and  South  Parks,  reporting 
many  interesting  observations.  The  only  result  of  these 
reports  seems  to  have  been  the  importation  of  a  few 
French  and  half-breed  fur  traders,  who  settled  down  and 
grew  up  with  the  country  and  the  Indians. 

After  the  close  of  the  Mexican  War  the  country 
began  to  settle  up  with  white  men,  retired  army  officers, 
and  the  like,  and  matter  ran  along  in  an  uneventful  way 
until  Green  Russell  and  his  party  of  Georgians  stumbled 
upon  the  shining  golden  sands  in  the  bed  of  Dry  Creek, 
now  Central  City  in  the  summer  of  1858. 

Then  came  a  world  of  startling  and  tragic  romance, 
that  future  historians  will  rank  above  even  the  conquest 
and  subjugation  of  the  incas  and  Aztecs. 

To  try  to  follow  the  tourists  in  what  they  saw  in  this 
wild  and  romantic  land  is  to  tempt  language  beyond  its 
power,  and  to  make  words  seem  puny  and  inadequate. 
After  many  a  day-dream,  when  one  is  restored  to  the 
quiet  of  home,  the  effort  to  place  the  picture  again  be 
fore  the  fancy  is  fruitless,  there  remains  a  vision  of 
resistless  mountain  torrents  rushing  madly  down  a  wild 
chasm,  which  can  be  likened  only  to  one  of  Dante's 
appalling  scenes  in  the  "Inferno";  overhead  a  haunting 
hand's-breath  of  gleaming  sky;  the  grim  walls  close 
enough  to  touch  at  times  as  yon  flit  by  in  palace  cars; 
the  fantastic  shapes  carved  upon  the  mountain,  bold 
profiles,  and  fairy  castles;  the  tranquill  surnmerland  into 
which  you  occasionally  dash,  when  the  canon  widens 
into  a  few  brief  acres,  green,  shady,  inviting;  a  passing 
glimpse  of  a  dazzling  snow-summit,  far  away  in  the 
upper  ether, — these,  and  more,  one  may  recall,  and  still 


RESIDENCE    OF    GEN.    LEE,     NOW    THE    PROPERTY    OF    VIRGINIA    HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY,     RICHMOND,    VA. 


MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING.  265 

there  remains  an  indefinable  sense  of  something  elusive 
that  you  have  not  held  fast,  and  cannot  describe.  It  is 
the  spirit  of  beauty,  the  power  of  pure  ennobling  scenery, 
which  cannot  be  taken  away  from  its  home  or  ever  re 
produced  in  words. 

To  describe  the  ride  up  Pike's  Peak  on  the  cog-wheel 
railroad  is  to  attempt  the  impossible.  Words  paint  a 
wholly  erroneous  picture  and  the  only  way  to  know  is  to 
see.  When  all  has  been  said  that  can  be  said,  the 
listener  or  reader  can  quote  as  he  climbs  upward,  the 
famous  words  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba  which  she  said 
when  she  beheld  the  glory  of  King  Solomon,  "The  half 
hath  not  been  told  me." 

Exhilirated  and  depressed  with  the  awe  that  inspires 
as  well  as  oppresses  all  travellers  in  these  regions,  Lucky 
Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  visited  Manitau,  and  followed  the 
guides  through  the  Grand  Canons. 

Then  they  went  to  the  Garden  of  the  Gods.  Here 
they  found  carved  in  stone  by  those  cunning  instruments 
in  the  hands  of  nature,  the  wind,  the  rain,  the  sun-beam 
and  the  frost,  those  curious,  often  grotesque,  figures 
irresistibly  suggestive  of  forms  of  life.  Here  stands  a 
statue  of  liberty,  leaning  on  her  shield,  with  the  con 
ventional  Phrygian  cap  on  her  head;  there  is  a  gigantic 
frog  carved  in  sandstone,  yonder  is  a  pilgrim,  staff  in 
hand.  Groups  of  figures  in  curious  attitudes  are  to  be 
seen  on  every  side.  The  lion,  the  seal,  the  elephant, 
are  all  to  be  found;  indeed  a  lively  imagination  is  not 
needed  to  bring  the  feeling,  that,  if  this  is  not  a  garden 
where  god-like  Titans  amused  themselves  in  sculpture, 
the  ones  who  named  it  would  not  have  gone  far  wrong, 


266  MATCHLESS    SIGHT    SEEING. 

if  they  had  named  it  instead  the  Art  Gallery  of  the  Gods 
of  Caricature. 

The  numerous  stupendous  canons  through  which  the 
tourists  passed  on  their  circuit  only  added  to  the  be 
wildering  feat  of  memory  in  trying  to  remember  it  all. 
Only  one  other  sight  stood  out  prominent  over  the  rest. 
This  was  because  it  offered  relief  from  its  different  point 
of  interest.  They  did  not  return  till  they  had  seen  the 
abode  of  the  Cliff  Dwellers  in  Mancos  Canon.  Perched 
seven  hundred  feet  above  the  valley,  on  a  little  ledge 
only  just  large  enough  to  hold  it,  stands  a  two-story 
house  made  of  finely-cut  sandstone,  each  block  about 
fourteen  by  sixteen  inches,  accurately  fitted  and  set  in 
mortar,  now  harder  than  the  stone  itself.  The  floor  is 
the  ledge  of  rock  and  the  roof  the  overhanging  cliff. 
There  are  three  rooms  on  the  ground  floor,  each  one  six 
by  nine  feet,  with  partition  walls  of  faced  stone.  Traces 
of  a  floor  which  once  separated  the  upper  from  the  lower 
story  still  remain.  Each  of  these  stories  is  six  feet  in 
height  and  all  the  rooms  are  nicely  plastered  and  painted 
in  what  now  looks  a  dull  brick  red  color,  with  a  white 
band  along  the  floor.  The  windows  are  square  apertures 
with  no  sign  of  glazing,  commanding  a  view  of  the  whole 
valley  for  many  miles.  Traditions  are  few  and  of  history 
there  is  nothing  concerning  this  lost  race.  Only  their 
ruined  houses  remain  and  some  broken  fragments  of  the 
implements  made  use  of  in  war  and  peace. 

When  the  indefatigable  tourists  returned  to  Denver, 
they  found  Mother  McQuinn  rested  and  refreshed.  She 
declared  that  she  was  now  ready  to  go  a  few  million 


268  PARADISE  VALLEY  AT  LAST. 

Temple  Block,  or  the  "Sacred  Square"  of  the 
Mormons,  covers  an  area  of  ten  acres,  surrounded  by  a 
high  wall,  inclosing  the  temple,  the  Tabernacle,  and  the 
Assembly  Hall.  Until  the  finished  Temple  was  reared 
in  "Zion"  the  Latter-Day  Saints,  like  the  Hebrews  of 
old,  worshipped  in  a  tabernacle.  When  the  great  ellipt 
ical  and  arched  roof  of  the  Tabernacle  becomes  visible, 
it  bears  a  curious  resemblance  to  a  mammoth  turtle,  and 
no  after  impression  can  make  it  beautiful,  though  as  a 
curiosity  it  is  unequaled.  There  are  forty-four  sandstone 
piers,  three  feet  by  nine  in  bulk  and  from  fourteen  to 
twenty  feet  in  height,  ranged  in  an  oval.  The  space 
between  nearly  all  of  them  is  filled  by  large  double  doors, 
and  above  these  are  windows,  each  with  forty  small 
panes.  Upon  these  piers  rests  a  huge  oval  dome, 
shingled  without,  and  said  to  be  one  of  the  largest  self- 
supporting  arches  in  the  world.  The  interior  of  the 
building  is  a  collosal  ellipse,  250  feet  long,  by  150  wide, 
and  eighty  feet  in  height  from  the  floor  to  the  top  of  the 
roof.  A  gallery  480  feet  long  extends  around  the  build 
ing,  except  at  the  west  end.  The  Tabernacle  will  seat 
comfortably  twelve  thousand  people.  Against  the  west 
end  looms  the  organ — one  of  the  largest  and  sweetest 
toned  in  the  United  States.  Its  front  towers  have  an 
altitude  of  forty-eight  feet.  It  requires  four  blowers,  and 
its  dimensions  are  thirty-three  feet.  On  each  side  of  the 
organ  are  seats  for  the  choir,  comprising  several  hundred 
persons.  In  front  and  below  the  organ  are  three  long 
pulpit  desks,  with  crimson  cushions.  The  highest  is  for 
the  President  of  the  Mormon  Church,  and  his  two 
counselors,  and  the  other  churchly  dignitaries  occupy 


PARADISE    VALLEY    AT    LAST.  269 


the  lower  ones.  Lowest  of  all  is  a  large  stand,  on  which 
are  placed  the  silver  ice-pitchers  and  two-handled  cups 
of  the  communion  service.  The  acoustic  properties  of 
the  Tabernacle  are  remarkable. 

At  the  head  of  Main  Street  stands  Zion's  co-operative 
Mercantile  institution,  a  "store"  which  does  $6,000,000 
worth  of  business  a  year! 

The  majority  of  dwelling-houses  are  built  after  the 
styles  the  Mormons  brought  with  them  from  the  East 
previous  to  1860.  They  are  roomy,  wide-gabled  houses, 
with  great  pillared  porches  flanking  the  two  stories. 
Many  are  constructed  of  adobe,  frequently  overlaid  with 
stucco.  Each  is  embowered  in  trees,  and  many  a 
property-holder  has  converted  his  front  yard  into  an 
orchard.  Others  have  old-fashioned  gardens,  primly 
laid  in  beds,  and  fragrant  with  the  old-time  posies  our 
grand-mothers  cultivated  and  culled.  Others  are  sur 
rounded  with  lawns,  which  show  by  close  growth,  half  a 
century  of  care. 

Of  the  Mormon  Prophet  himself,  nothing  remains  of 
his  vast  possessions  but  the  lot  wherein  he  lies  buried. 
It  is  reached  through  the  Eagle  Gate,  a  gateway  in  the 
old  wall,  surmounted  by  an  eagle,  perched  on  a  bee-hive. 
Looking  back,  there  stretches  from  the  gate  a  wide 
shaded  street,  which  seems  to  meet  the  far  horizon;  it 
runs  for  twenty-two  miles  through  the  State.  On  a  hill, 
whence  one  can  gaze  over  the  fair  prospect,  over  the 
valleys  and  field,  which  he  ruled  with  an  iron  hand, 
Brigham  Young  lies  under  a  slab  of  granite  of  many  tons 
weight.  The  grave  is  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing,  and 
the  lot  fenced  in  by  a  corresponding  one.  A  portion  is 


PARADISE  VALLEY  AT  LAST. 


turfed,  but  the  largest  part  is  reserved  as  a  last  resting 
place  for  his  wives. 

The  visitors  found,  however,  their  chief  attraction  at 
Garfield  Beach.  After  a  delightful  ride  of  eighteen  miles, 
they  reached  the  shore  of  this  mysterious  salt  sea.  The 
sand  under  one's  feet  in  the  water  is  as  soft  as  velvet. 
1  he  grains  are  curiously  rounded  and  lack  the  sharp 
diamond  points  of  other  sea  sand.  This  accounts  for  the 
delicious  "soft  felling"  to  the  feet.  These  granules  differ 
chemically  from  any  like  formation  in  salt  water. 

Salt  Lake  is  not  a  sullen,  listless  sheet  of  water 
beating  idly  on  the  shores,  barren  and  repellant;  but  on 
the  contrary,  it  is  as  beautiful  a  sheet  of  water  as  can  be 
found  anywhere.  The  waves  are  a  bright  blue  or  green, 
and  as  they  dance  on  its  surface,  it  would  be  hard  to 
tell  which  color  prevails.  The  water  supports  no  life. 
Its  constant  sinking  and  rising  is  only  one  of  its  many 
curious  phases.  The  sensation  upon  entering  the  water 
is  novel  and  congenial.  It  is  so  buoyant  from  its  vast 
amount  of  solid  matter,  that  men  float  on  their  backs 
without  effort  and  smoke  their  cigars. 

When  they  returned  to  Ogden,  they  found  Mother 
McQuinn  much  refreshed  and  ready  for  another  effort  to 
reach  Paradise  Valley.  It  was  the  part  of  good  policy 
for  the  travellers  to  keep  her  well  rested;  and,  when  they 
reached  San  Fransisco,  their  first  object  was  to  get  her 
comfortably  located  in  a  quiet  hotel,  while  they  saw  the 
sights. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar's  wife  urged  speed  in  their  sight 
seeing  in  San  Fransisco,  and  every  point  of  interest  was 
quickly  visited  from  the  mints  to  the  Chinese  quarters. 


PARADISE    VALLEY    AT    LAST.  271 


She  wanted  to  go  to  Yosemite,  and  visit  on  the  way  the 
giant  trees  of  Mariposa  and  Calaveras.  Her  wish  was 
soon  gratified.  At  Mariposa  she  gazed  with  awe  on  the 
group  of  one  handred  and  twenty-five  trees  whose  cir 
cumference  varied  from  forty  to  one  hundred  feet. 

The  Grizzly  Giant,  one  of  the  monsters  of  this  monster 
forest,  sends  out  a  limb  which  is  6  feet  in  diameter  at  a 
height  of  ninety  feet  above  the  ground.  The  Calaveras 
group  has  one  tree  which  is  435  feet  high,  and  1 10  feet 
in  circumference  at  the  base. 

A  little  later  they  came  to  Yosemite  Valley. 

This  is  the  tourists  paradise  of  California  and  the 
Pacific  Coast,  if  not  the  world.  It  cannot  be  compared 
with  Yellowstone  National  Park,  because  there  are  few 
points  of  similarity,  and  each  is  peerless  in  its  own  way. 
No  other  scene  or  series  of  scenes  in  the  world  presents 
the  beauty  of  the  one,  or  the  wonderful  features  of  the 
other.  The  Yosemite  Valley  is  set  apart  as  a  park,  and 
is  dedicated  to  the  sightseers  of  the  world.  The  chief 
points  of  interest  are  El  Capitan,  Cathedral  Rocks,  The 
Sentinal  and  Domes,  Bridal  Veil  Falls,  Yosemite  Falls, 
Mirror  Lake,  and  Cloud's  Rest.  The  Yosemite  Falls  are 
composed  of  three  cascades,  the  first  being  1,500  feet, 
the  second  600  feet,  and  the  last  400  feet  high. 

On  the  return  to  San  Francisco,  the  tourists  fell  in 
with  an  interesting  and  companionable  naturalist,  who 
asserted  that  they  could  not  say  they  had  seen  California 
till  they  had  gone  to  the  Leland  Stanford  University  and 
seen  its  great  display  of  fossils  and  fish. 

They  agreed  to  visit  a  place  so  highly    recommended 


272  PARADISE  VALLEY  AT  LAST. 

as  soon  as  they  could  see  Mother  McQuinn  and  reassure 
her  for  two  or  three  days  longer  rest. 

"Call  at  the  government  fishery  department  for 
Cloud  Rutter, "  he  said  at  parting.  "He  hatches  canned 
salmon  for  the  government.  Each  one  lays  a  million 
eggs  and  the  United  States  employs  him  to  find  out  how 
to  get  them  all  into  the  can." 

They  took  the  card,  and  a  few  days  later  called  at 
the  hatchery  where  the  enthusiastic  young  fish  com 
missioner,  who  has  made  it  his  life  study  to  unravel  all 
the  mysteries  of  the  elusive  salmon,  from  the  eggs  to  the 
gourmand's  stomach,  took  the  visitors  through  every 
process  of  that  valuable  fish's  life,  and  discoursed  so 
learnedly  and  interestingly  on  its  romantic  and  even 
pathetic  existence,  that  thereafter  they  could  never  see  a 
salmon  can  or  taste  that  fish's  salty  flesh  without  re 
calling  the  story  of  its  remarkable  life. 

A  few  days  later,  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  were 
engaged  in  their  first  really  heated  discussion. 

"It  looks  like  cruelty, "  he  exclaimed,  "to  drag  the 
old  lady  over  the  ocean  to  Portland." 

"Not  at  all,"  protested  his  wife,  "nothing  can  disturb 
her  and  it  will  have  to  be  a  bad  storm  that  will  upset  her 
digestion." 

This  carried  the  day,  and  Mother  McQuinn  was 
taken  aboard  the  steamer  without  her  making  even  an 
inquiry.  All  came  to  her  as  matter  of  course  on  the  way 
to  Paradise  Valley  and  she  never  for  a  moment  doubted 
that  her  children  were  going  as  straight  home  as  the 
crow  flies. 

There    was   a  calm    sea    all    the    way    and   the  only 


PARADISE  VALLEY  AT  LAST.  273 

question  that  arose  she  asked  when  they  were  within 
sight  of  Portland. 

"Wonderful!  wonderful !"  she  exclaimed,  "I  wouldn't 
have  believed  it  if  anyone  had  told  me  we  had  to  cross 
the  ocean  to  get  to  Paradise  Valley." 

Then  a  sudden  inspiration  seized  her. 

"Say,"  she  asked,  "is  this  the  Mississippi  we  have 
just  crossed?  I  remember  hearing  one  time  that  it  is  the 
father  of  waters." 

"Yes,"  said  the  acquaintance  to  whom  the  question 
was  advanced,  "the  Mississippi  is  the  whole  family  of 
waters,  and  we  are  congratulating  ourselves  that  we  have 
got  across  without  a  storm  blowing  us  out  of  sight  of 
land  for  a  month." 

The  scenes  of  the  great  Western  town  of  Portland 
were  visited  in  the  two  days  Mother  McQuinn  was  resting 
and  then  the  tourists  boarded  the  train  for  the  Yellow 
stone  Park. 

When  the  train  pulls  out  from  Portland  it  speeds 
across  the  acute  angle  of  land  lying  between  the 
Willamette  and  the  Columbia,  and  as  soon  as  the  last- 
named  river  is  reached  the  magnificent  scenery  begins. 
Grander  and  grander  it  grows  as  the  train  rushes  on. 
Higher  and  higer  rise  the  mountains  that  hem  the  river, 
until  it  would  seem  as  though  the  sky  rested  upon  their 
summits.  Sometimes  they  slope  backwards  and  outward 
as  they  rise.  In  yet  other  instances  they  tower  like  huge 
battlements  reared  by  Titans  in  the  age  when  the  battle 
of  the  giants  was  being  fought.  Trees  cling  like  heroes 
to  the  sides  of  the  savage  rocks,  and  beautiful  ferns  and 


2/4  PARADISE    VALLEY    AT    LAST. 

mosses  grow  in  great  variety  in  their  brave  and  tender 
effort  to  hide  the  nakedness  of  nature. 

The  variety  of  the  scenery  is  in  keeping  with  its 
grandeur.  As  each  new  and  changeful  scene  bursts  into 
View  and  in  a  moment  is  gone,  one  could  wish  that  the 
speed  of  the  train  would  slacken.  Some  glorious  visions 
of  mountain  battlement  or  gorge  or  waterfall  will  sud 
denly  meet  the  eye  as  it  looks  out  from  the  car  window 
and  in  a  moment  it  is  gone.  It  is  then  that  the  state 
ment  is  true,  if  it  ever  is  true,  that  the  eye  is  not  satis 
fied  with  seeing.  Before  the  impression  is  photographed 
upon  the  mind  the  vision  is  gone.  It  is  supplanted  by 
some  other  as  grand  or  grander. 

In  due  time  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  family  arrived 
at  the  great  park,  and  while  Mother  McQuinn  rested  at 
the  hotel,  the  indefatigable  tourists  took  in  the  wonders. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  embracing  an  area  fifty- 
four  miles  wide  by  sixty-two  miles  long,  or  about  3,350 
square  miles,  was  set  aside  in  1872  by  act  of  Congress 
as  a  "National  play-ground,  a  museum  of  unparalleled, 
indeed,  incomparable  marvels,  free  to  all  men  for  all 
time."  It  lies  in  Northwestern  Wyoming,  and  is  a 
volcanic  plateau,  hemmed  in  by  mountain  spurs  ranging 
from  9,000  to  11,000  feet  in  height.  Its  average  ele 
vation  above  sea  level  is  between  7,000  and  8,000  feet. 

The  management  and  protection  of  this  mammoth 
pleasure-ground  devolves  upon  the  Department  of  the 
Interior  at  Washington,  its  direct  and  immediate  control 
being  in  charge  of  a  superintendent,  with  head-quarters 
at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  and  a  sufficient  force  of 
cavalry  "regulars"  to  enforce  obedience  to  his  orders, 


PARADISE  VALLEY  AT  LAST.  2/5 

The  government  also  has  entire  charge  of  the  road  system 
of  the  park,  and  opening  of  new,  and  maintainance  of  old 
roads  are  dependant  upon  congressional  appropriation. 

In  one  week's  tour  they  saw  the  wonders  which 
neither  pen  nor  photograph  can  describe. 

They  first  went  up  one  thousand  feet  higher  to 
Golden  Gate  past  the  great  Obsidian  Cliff,  whose  bold 
escarpment  of  volcanic  glass  hung  black  over  their  heads. 
Then  they  passed  through  the  geysers  of  the  far-famed 
fire  hole.  They  took  a  ride  on  Yellostone  Lake.  As 
they  looked  into  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone, 
Lucky  Ten  Bar's  wife  took  a  little  book  from  her  grip 
and  read  a  description  of  this  place  by  Rudyard  Kipling. 

He  wrote:  "All  I  can  say  is  that  without  warning  or 
preparation  I  looked  into  a  gulf  seventeen  hundred  feet 
deep,  with  eagles  and  fish-hawks  circling  far  below.  And 
the  sides  of  that  gulf  were  one  wide  welter  of  color- 
crimson,  emerald,  cobalt,  ocher,  amber,  honey-splashed 
with  port  wine,  snow-white,  vermillion,  lemon,  and 
silver-gray  in  wide  washes.  The  sides  did  not  fall  sheer, 
but  were  graven  by  time,  and  water  and  air,  into  mon 
strous  heads  of  kings,  dead  chiefs  and  men  and  women 
of  the  old  time.  So  far  below  that  no  sound  of  its  strife 
could  reach  us  the  Yellowstone  River  ran,  a  finger-wide 
strip  of  jade  green. 

"The  sunlight  took  those  wondrous  walls  and  gave 
fresh  hues  to  those  that  nature  had  already  laid  there. 

"Evening  crept  through  the  pines  that  shadowed  us, 
but  the  full  glory  of  the  day  flamed  in  that  canon  as  we 
went  out  very  cautiously  to  a  jutting  piece  of  rock — 


2/6  PARADISE  VALLEY  AT  LAST. 

blood  red  or   pink   it  was — that   overhung   the  deepest 
deeps  of  all. 

"Now  I  know  what  it  is  to  sit  enthroned  amid  the 
clouds  of  sunset  as  the  spirits  sit  in  Blake's  pictures. 
Giddiness  took  away  all  sensation  of  touch  or  form,  but 
the  sense  of  blinding  color  remained. 

"When  I  reached  the  main  land  again  I  had  sworn 
that  I  had  been  floating." 

The  youthful  tourists  now  looked  homeward  in  earnest. 
A  week  later  they  were  in  Deadwood.  Lucky  Ten  Bar 
could  not  repress  the  tears  from  his  eyes  when  he  called 
to  mind  that  this  was  the  town  he  had  struggled  so  hard 
to  reach  when  he  ran  away  from  Mother  Brown  at 
Chadron.  The  two  sight-seers  obtained  a  guide  and 
went  entirely  through  the  great  gold  mountain  by  way 
of  the  tunnels  of  the  Homestake  mines.  They  were 
shown  every  process  of  that  wonderful  feat  of  mining. 
They  were  hoisted  and  lowered  by  elevators  hundreds  of 
feet  up  and  down  shafts  and  then  taken  out  into  a 
vast  funnel-like  stope  where  the  miners  were  blasting. 

Their  guide  was  not  without  humor.  He  took  them 
into  a  little  cave  at  a  signal  from  someone  called  out 
from  far  up  the  opposite  side  of  the  huge  funnel.  Being 
tired,  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  leaned  back  against 
the  clean  rock  wall. 

Suddenly  the  wall  seemed  to  heave  out  and  hit  them 
a  blow  in  the  back.  They  were  thrown  out  into  the 
middle  of  the  room.  Then  there  was  a  roar  that  deafened 
them.  They  could  see  a  huge  piece  of  rock,  as  large  as 
a  common  cottage,  torn  from  the  far  side  of  the  funnel, 
and  rolled  over  on  its  side  by  the  blast.  Then  the 


PARADISE  VALLEY  AT  LAST.  277 

laughing  guide,  when  they  had  recovered  from  their 
consternation,  took  them  on  their  way. 

Coming  out  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain,  at 
Lead  City,  they  took  the  elevated  tramway  car  and  rode 
downward  at  frightful  speed  through  the  canons  and 
over  the  great  gulches  back  to  Deadwood. 

Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  wife  had  now  seen  most  of 
their  native  land,  and  were  ready  to  lose  themselves  there 
after  in  the  serious  occupations  of  life.  They  had  passed 
observingly  over  an  empire  grander  in  possibilities  than 
ever  saluted  the  golden  eagles  of  Rome  in  the  proudest 
days  of  the  Caesars;  a  domain  in  which  England  would 
harldly  make  an  oversized  cow-lot,  and  on  whose  majestic 
map  Belgium  would  seem  a  fly-speck.  And  it  is  indeed 
a  land  of  wonders  and  glories  and  riches,  endless  and 
unsurpassable.  God  Almighty  seems  to  have  broken 
many  of  the  ehoicest  treasure-boxes  of  Omniscience  and 
Omnipotence  over  it  and  upon  it. 

The  great  West  has  all  wonders  and  glories  of  in 
comprehensible  and  inconceivable  scenery.  The  Rocky 
Mountains  divide  it  through  the  center,  and  the  mightiest 
ocean  of  earth  laves  its  western  shores  for  nearly  a 
thousand  miles.  It  has  snow-capped  peaks,  whose 
summits  pierce  the  clouds  to  bathe  in  everlasting  sun 
shine;  plains,  whose  limitless  expanse  suggest  infinity 
rolled  flat;  lakes  blue  as  the  sapphirean  skies,  that  smile 
to  see  themselves  so  beautifully  mirrored  in  the  crystal 
line  depths;  rivers  like  rolling  oceans  in  magnitude  and 
majesty;  far-stretching  forests,  whose  lofty  tree-tops 
sweep  the  cobwebs  from  the  heavans;  canyons  that  rank 
among  the  world's  abysmal  wonders,  and  cataracts  that 


278  PARADISE  VALLEY  AT  LAST. 

measure    Niagara's    misty    marvels,    and    overtop    them 
hundreds  and  hundreds  of  dizzy  feet  higher. 

Take  all  New  England  and  New  York.  Add  from 
4,000  to  7,000  feet  to  the  height  of  their  boasted  White 
and  Green  mountains,  Adirondacks  and  Catskills.  Rear 
hundreds  of  huge  peaks,  all  punching  holes  in  the  sky 
with  their  crowns.  Exaggerate  fifty-fold  all  the  wild 
notches  and  gorges  and  glens  of  eastern  America,  and 
multiply  them  by  scores.  Send  mighty  rivers — capable 
of  bearing  a  great  people's  commerce,  and  furnishing  the 
water-power  to  run  all  of  a  nation's  machinery, — winding 
for  hundreds  of  miles  througout  the  grand  domain.  Set 
cataracts  and  cascades  leaping  and  foaming  down  a 
thousand  dizzy  precipice  channels.  Cap  many  of  the 
giant  peaks  with  everlasting  ice  and  snow,  and  clothe 
their  shaggy  sides  with  vast  waving  forests  of  valuable 
timber.  Toss  in,  between  the  mountains  and  along  the 
streams,  valleys  larger  than  whole  states  of  the  East, 
and  ready  to  burst  out,  under  even  careless  tillage,  in 
orchards  and  gardens,  vineyards  and  grainfields,  glorying 
in  their  own  magnificent  fruitage.  Unroll  plains  bounded 
only  by  the  skyline,  capable  of  pasturing  uncountable 
flocks  and  herds  waist  deep  in  the  very  wantonness  of 
plenty.  Rib  whole  mountain  ranges  and  underlay 
thousands  of  square  miles,  with  gold  and  silver,  copper, 
lead,  zinc,  iron,  nickel  and  platinum  ores,  coal,  marble 
of  many  hues,  salt,  sulphur,  lime  and  gypsum,  and 
nearly  every  other  metal  and  mineral  in  human  use. 
Fill  every  stream  and  lake  and  inlet  with  the  finest  food- 
fish  on  earth,  and  over  all  throw  the  glory  of  a  climate 
unsurpassed  under  heaven  since  sin  and  death  and  poli- 


PARADISE  VALLEY  AT  LAST. 


279 


tic,  climbed  over  the  garden-walls  of  Eden,  and  even 
then  there  would  hardly  be  made  any  one  of  the  great 
western  empires  in  the  vast  aggregation  of  United  States. 

Sunday  morning  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his  family  drove 
from  the  station  at  Longhorn  over  to  Paradise  Valley. 
As  they  rode  up  to  what  had  once  been  the  house  of 
Frams  the  outlaw,  Lucky  Ten  Bar  saw  that  it  had  been 
transformed  into  a  church.  Some  one  was  preaching. 
They  alighted  from  the  carriage,  and  went  in.  The 
preacher  ceased  at  once,  and  Lucky  Ten  Bar  and  his 
family  were  overwhelmed  with  the  loving  greeting  from 
Mother  Brown  and  the  parson. 

''At  last!  at  last!"  exclaimed  Mother  McQuinn, 
sinking  into  a  seat,  I  really  do  believe  that  we  have  got 
to  Paradise  Valley. 


MOTHER  McQuiNN. 


n 


LONE  STAR 


YELLOWSTONE    PARK,     WYOMING. 


GRAND  CANON  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE,   YELLOWSTONE  PARK,   WYOMING. 


GOLDEN  GATE  CANYON,     YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL    PARK,     WYOMING 


THE  TEETH  THE  BEST  MEDIUM  AND  \HE  AUDIPHONE  T>/E 

BEST   INSTRUMENT   FOR   CONVEYING   SOUNDS  TO 

THE  DEAF,  AND  IN  TEACHING  THE  PARTLY 

DEAF  AND  DUMB  TO  SPEAK, 


ADDRESS  DELIVERED  BY  R.  S.  RHODES,  OF 

CHICAGO,  BEFORE  THE  FOURTEENTH  CONVENTION 

OF  AMERICAN  TEACHERS  OF  THE  DEAF,  AT 

FLINT,  MICHIGAN. 


MR.  PRESIDENT  AND  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

I  would  like  to  relate  some  of  the  causes  which  led  to 
my  presence  with  you  to-day. 

About  sixteen  years  ago  I  devised  this  instrument,  the 
audiphone,  which  greatly  assisted  me  in  hearing,  and 
discovered  that  many  who  had  not  learned  to  speak  were 
not  so  deaf  as  myself.  I  reasoned  that  an  instrument  in 
the  hands  of  one  who  had  not  learned  to  speak  would 
act  the  same  as  when  in  the  hands  of  one  who  had 
learned  to  speak,  and  that  the  mere  fact  of  one  not  being 
able  to  speak  would  in  no  wise  affect  the  action  of  the 
instrument.  To  ascertain  if  or  not  my  simple  reasoning 
was  correct,  I  borrowed  a  deaf-mute,  a  boy  about  twelve 
years  old,  and  took  him  to  my  farm.  We  arrived  there 
in  the  evening,  and  during  the  evening  I  experimented  to 


THE   AUDIPHONE. 

It  would  take  more  scientists  than  ever  were  born  to 
Convince  rue  that  I  did  not  hear  the  voice  of  the  Rev. 
James  B.  McClure,  one  who  has  been  dear  to  me  for  the 
last  twenty  years,  and  accompanied  rne  on  most  of  my 
visits  to  institutions  spoken  of  above,  and  who  has  en 
couraged  me  in  my  labors  for  the  deaf  all  these  years,  say, 
as  I  held  his  hand  on  his  dying  bed  only  Monday  last, 
and  took  my  final  leave  from  him  (and  let  me  say,  I 
know  of  no  cause  but  this  that  would  have  induced  me 
to  leave  him  then),  "  Go  to  Flint;  do  all  the  good  you 
can.  God  bless  your  labors  for  the  deaf!  We  shall 
never  meet  again  on  earth.  Meet  me  above.  Good-by!" 

And,  Mr.  President,  when  I  am  laid  at  rest,  it  will  be 
with  gratitude  to  you  and  with  greater  resignation  for  the 
active  part  you  have  taken  in  the  interest  of  these  partly 
deaf  children  in  having  a  section  for  aural  work  admitted 
to  this  national  convention,  for  in  this  act  you  have  con 
tributed  to  placing  this  work  on  a  firm  foundation,  which 
is  sure  to  result  in  the  greatest  good  to  this  class. 

You  have  heard  our  friend,  the  inventor  of  the  tele 
phone,  say  that  in  his  experiments  for  a  device  to  im 
prove  the  hearing  of  the  deaf,  (as  he  was  not  qualified 
by  deafness,)  he  did  not  succeed,  but  invented  the  tele 
phone  instead,  which  has  lined  his  pocket  with  gold. 
From  what  I  know  of  the  gentleman,  I  believe  he  would 
willingly  part  with  all  the  gold  he  has  received  for  the 
use  of  this  wonderful  invention,  had  he  succeeded  in  his 
efforts  in  devising  an  instrument  which  would  have 
emancipated  even  twenty  per  cent,  of  the  deaf  in  the  in 
stitutions  from  the  slavery  of  silence.  I  have  often 
wished  that  he  might  have  invented  the  audiphone  and 


HEARING  THROUGH  THE  TEETH. 

received  as  much  benefit  by  its  use  as  I,  for  then  he 
would  have  used  the  gold  he  derives  from  the  telephone 
in  carrying  the  boon  to  the  deaf;  but  when  I  consider 
that  in  wishing  this  I  must  wish  him  deaf,  and  as  it  would 
not  be  right  for  me  to  wish  him  this  great  affliction,  there 
fore  since  I  am  deaf,  and  I  invented  the  audiphone,  T 
would  rather  wish  that  I  might  have  invented  the  tele 
phone  also;  in  which  case  I  assure  the  deaf  that  I  would 
have  used  my  gold  as  freely  in  their  behalf  as  would  he. 
[The  speaker  then  explained  the  use  of  the  audiometer 
in  measuring  the  degree  of  hearing  one  may  possess. 
Then,  at  his  request,  a  gentleman  from  the  audience,  a 
superintendent  of  one  of  our  large  institutions,  took  a 
position  about  five  feet  from  the  speaker,  and  was  asked 
to  speak  loud  enough  for  Mr.  Rhodes  to  hear  when  he  did 
not  have  the  audiphone  in  use,  and  by  shouting  at  the  top 
of  his  voice,  Mr.  Rhodes  was  able  to  hear  only  two  or 
three  "o"  sounds,  but  could  not  distinguish  a  word. 
With  the  audiphone  adjusted  to  his  teeth,  still  looking 
away  from  the  speaker,  he  was  able  to  understand  ordinary 
tones,  and  repeated  sentences  after  him;  and,  when  look 
ing  at  him  and  using  his  eye  and  audiphone,  the  speaker 
lowering  his  voice  nearly  as  much  as  possible  and 
yet  articulating,  Mr.  Rhodes  distinctly  heard  every 
word  and  repeated  sentences  after  him,  thus  showing  the 
value  of  the  audiphone  and  eye  combined,  although  Mr 
Rhodes  had  never  received  instructions  in  lip  reading, 
The  gentleman  stated  that  he  had  tested  Mr.  Rhodes' 
hearing  with  the  audiometer  when  he  was  at  his  institu 
tion  in  1894,  and  found  he  possessed  seven  per  cent,  in 
his  left  ear  and  nothing  in  his  right.] 


FOR  THE  DEAF. 

THE  AUDIPHONE 

Pv  Instrument  that  Enables  Deaf  Persons  to  Hear  Or- 
linary  Conversation  Readily  through  the  Medium  of 
the  Teeth,    and  Many  of  those  Born  Deaf  and  Dumb 
t«"»  Hear  and  Learn  to  Speak. 

INVENTED  BY  RICHARD  S.  RHODES,  CHICAGO. 

Medal  Awarded  at  the  World's  Columbia  Expo, 
sition,  Chicago. 

The  Audiphone  is  a  new  instrument  made  of  a  peculiar  composition, 
posessing  the  property  of  gathering  the  faintest  sounds  (somewhat  similar 
to  a  telephone  diaphragm),  and  conveying  them  to  the  auditory  nerve, 
through  the  medium  of  the  teeth.  The  external  ear  has  nothing  what 
ever  to  do  in  hearing  with  this  wonderful  instrument. 

Thousands  are  in  use  by  those  who  would  not  do  without  them  for 
any  consideration.  It  has  enabled  doctors  and  lawyers  to  resume  practice, 
teachers  to  resume  teaching,  mothers  to  hear  the  voices  of  their  children, 
thousands  to  hear  their  ministers,  attend  concerts  and  theatres,  and 
engage  in  general  conversation.  Music  is  heard  perfectly  with  it  when 
without  i,  not  a  note  could  be  distinguished.  It  is  convenient  to  carry 
and  to  use.  Ordinary  conversation  can  be  heard  with  ease.  In  most 
cases  deafness  is  not  detected 

Full  instructions  will  be  sent  with  each  instrument.  The  Audiphone 
is  patented  throughout  the  civilized  world. 

PRICE: 

Conversational,  small  size          .......        $3.00 

Conversational,  medium  si2e,          -         -         -         -         -         -         -3.00 

Concert  size, --  5-°° 

Trial  instrument,  good  and  serviceable,          -         -         -         -         -       1.5° 
The  Audiphone  will  be  sent  to  any  address,  on  receipt  of  price,  by 

Rhodes  &  McClure  Publishing  Co., 

296  Wabash  Avenue,  Chicago.  111. 


PUBLISHED  BY 
RHODES  &  McCLURE  PUBLISHING  CO., 

CHICAGO. 


\tt  handsomely  bound  in  the  best  English  and  American  cloths,  with  full  Silver 
embossed  side  and  back  stamp;  uniform  in  style  of  binding.  Together  making 
a  handsome  libr^  7,  or,  separately,  making  handsome  center-table  volumes. 

PRICE,  $1.00  EACH.     SENT  POST-PAW. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN'S  STORIES  AND  SPEECHES;  in  cne 
volume,  complete.  New  (1897)  edition,  handsomely  illustrated; 
containing  the  many  witty,  pointed  and  unequaled  stories  as  told 
by  Mr.  Lincoln,  including  Early  life  stories,  Professional  life 
stories,  White  House  and  War  stories;  also  presenting  the  full 
text  of  the  popular  Speeches  of  Mr.  Lincoln  on  the  great  ques 
tions  of  the  age,  including  his  "First  Political  Speech,"  "Rail 
Splitting  Speech,"  "  Great  Debate  with  Douglas,"  and  his  Won 
derful  Speech  at  Gettysburg,  etc.,  etc.;  and  including  his  two 
great  Inaugurals,  with  many  grand  illustrations.  An  instructive 
and  valuable  book;  477  pages. 

MOODY'S  ANECDOTES;  210  pages,  exclusive  of 
engravings.  Containing  several  hundred  interesting 
stories,  told  by  the  great  evangelist,  D.  L.  Moody, 
in  his  wonderful  work  in  Europe  and  America. 
Hundreds  of  thousands  of  copies  have  been  sold. 
Illustrated  with  excellent  engravings  of  Messrs. 
Moody,  Sankey,  Whittle  and  Bliss,  and  thirty-two 
full-page  engravings  from  Gustave  Dore,  making 
an  artistic  and  handsome  volume.  "  A  book  of  an 
ecdotes  which  have  thrilled  hundreds  of  thou 
sands." — Pittsburg  Banner. 

MOODY'S  GOSPEL  SERMONS.     As  delivered  by  the  great  Evangel 
ist,  D%vight  Lyman  Moody,  in  his   revival   work    in    Grent    Britain 
and  America.     Together  with  a  biography  of  Mr.  Moody  and  his 
co-laborer,    Ira   David    Sankey.     Including,    also,  a  short  history  of  the 
Great   Revival.     Each    sermon  is  illustrated    with  a  handsome,  full-page 
engraving  from  Gustave    Dore.     The  book  also  contains  an  engraving  oi 
D.  L.  Moody,  Ira  D.  Sankey,    Mr.  Moody  Preaching  in  the  Royal  Opera 
House,    Haymarket,    London,    Chicago     Tabernacle    (erected    for    Mr. 
Moody's  services)  and  "I  Am  the  Way."     A  handsome  and  attractive  vol 
ume  of  443  p  ges. 

MOODY'S  LATEST  SERMONS.  As  delivered  by  the  great  Evangel 
ist,  Dwight  Lyman  Moody.  Handsomely  illustrated  with  twenty- 
four  full-page  engravings  from  Gustave  Dore.  335  pages. 

MOODY'S  CHILD  STORIES.     As  related  by  Dwight  Lyman  Moody 
in  his  revival  work.      Handsomely  illustrated  with  sixteen  full-page 
engravings  from  Gustave  Dore  and  106  illustrations  from  J.  Stuart 
Littlejohn.     A   book   adapted   to  children,  but  interesting  to  adults      f 
handsome  volume      Should  be  in  ?very  family      237  pages 


Standard  Publications,  $1  each,  bound  in  Cloth 

4SAM  JONES'  GOSPEL  SERMONS:  346  pages 
exclusive  of  engravings.  Sam  Jones  is  pronounced 
"one  of  the  most  sensational  preachers  in  the  world, 
and  yet  among  the  most  effective."  His  sermons  are 
characterized  by  clearness,  point  and  great  common 
sense,  including  "hits"  that  ring  like  guns.  Printed 
in  large  type,  and  illustrated  with  engravings  of  Sam 
Jones  and  Sam  Small,  and  with  nineteen  full-page 
engravings  from  Gustave  Dore. 

SAM  JONES'  LATEST  SERMONS.  The  favor  with  .which  Sam 
Jones'  Gospel  Sermons  has  been  received  by  the  public  has  induced 
us  to  issue  this  book  of  his  Latest  Sermons.  Each  sermon  is  illustrated 
with  a  full-page  illustration  from  Gustave  Dore's  Bible  Gallery.  The 
book  is  bound  unifoimly  with  his  Gospel  Sermons,  and  contains,  besides 
illustrations,  reading  matkr  of  350  pages 

SAM  JONES'  ANECDOTES;  300  pages.     An   exceedingly  interesting 
and  entertaining  volume,  containing  the  many   telling    and    effective 
stories  told  by  Mr.  Jones  in  his  sermons.     They   strike  in    all   directions 
and  always  impart    good    moral  lessons  that   can  not   be   misunderstood 
Adapted  for  the  young  and  old.      A  book  which  everybody  can  enjoy. 

MISTAKES  OF  INGERSOLL;  and  his  Answers 
complete;  n^  wly  revised  popular  (1897)  edition; 
illustrated,  482  pages.  Containing  the  full 
replies  of  Prof.  Swing,  Judge  Black,  J.  Munro 
Gibson,  D.  D.,  Chaplain ::  McCabe,  Bishop 
Cheney,  Dr.  Thomas,  Dr.  Maclauglan,  Dr 
Goodwin  and  other  eminent  scholars  to  Inger. 
soil's  Lectures  on  the  "Mistakes  of  Moses, '- 
"Skulls,"  "What  Shall  We  Do  to  be  Saved?"  and  "  Thomas  Paine," 
to  which  are  appended  in  full  these  Ingersoll  lectures  and  his  replies  A 
fair  presentation  of  the  full  discussion. 

GREAT  SPEECHES  OF  COL.  R.  G.  INGERSOLL;  complete: 
newly  revised  (1897)  edition;  409  pages.  Containing  the  many 
eloquent,  timely,  practical  speeches  of  this  most  gifted  o.ator  and  states 
man,  including  his  recent  matchless  " Eulogy  on  Atraham  Lincoln," 
"Speech  on  the  Declaration  of  Independence,"  "To  the  Farmers  on 
Farming,"  Funeral  Oration  at  his  Brother's  Grave,  etc.,  etc.  Fully 
and  handsomely  illustrated. 

WIT,  WISDOM  AND  ELOQUENCE  OF  COL.  R.  G.  INGERSOLL; 
newly  revised  popular  (1897)  edition,  illustrated;  336  pages.     Con 
taining  the  remarkable  Witticisms,  terse,  pungent  rnd  sarcastic   sayings, 
and   eloquent    extracts    on   popular    themes,  from  Ingersoll's  Speeches;  a 
very  entertaining  volume. 

THE  FIRST  MORTGAGE;  310  pages.  A  truthful,  instructive,  pleas 
ing  and  poetical  presentation  of  Biblical  stories,  history  and  gospel 
truth;  fully  and  handsomely  illustrated  from  the  world-renowned  artist, 
Gustave  Dore,  by  E.  U.  Cook,  the  whole  forming  an  exceedingly  inter 
esting  and  entertaining  poetical  Bible.  One  of  the  handsomest  volumes 
ever  issued  in  Chicago 


Standard  Publications,  $1  each,  bound  in  Cloth. 


EVILS  OF  THE  CITIES:  By  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  D.  D.;  530 pages. 
The  author,  in  company  with  the  prcper  detectives,  visited  many  of 
the  most  vile  and  wicked  places  in  New  York  City  and  Brooklyn,  osten- 
jibly  looking  for  a  thief,  but  in  reality  taking  notes  for  a  series  of 
discourses  published  in  this  volume,  which  contains  a  full  and  graphic 
description  cf  what  he  saw  and  the  lessens  drawn  therefrom.  The  Doctor 
has  also  extended  his  observations  to  the  "Summer  Resorts,"  "Watering 
Places,"  Races,  etc.,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  popularized  from  his  standpoint 
in  this  volume.  Handsomely  illustrated  and  decidedly  interesting. 

TALMAGE  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND:  322  pages.  The 
Falestine  Sermons  of  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  delivered  during 
his  tour  of  the  Holy  Land.  Including  graphic  descriptions 
of  Sacred  Places,  Vivid  Delineations  of  Gospel  Truths, 
interesting  local  reminiscences,  etc.,  etc.,  by  his  visit  to  the 
many  places  made  sacred  by  the  personal  presence  of  Jesus 
and  the  great  pens  of  Biblical  characters  and  writers. 
Copiously  illustrated. 

SIN:  A  series  of  popular  discourses  delivered  by  T.  DeWitt 
Talmage,  D.  D.,  and  illustrated  with  136  engravings  by 
H.  De  Lay;  411  pages. 

McNElLL'S  POPULAR  SERMONS:  373  pages.  Delivered  in  Lon- 
con  and  America  by  the  Rev.  John  McNeill,  one  of  the  ablest  and 
most  pi  pular  of  living  divines,  end  known  on  both  continents  as  "THE 
SCOTCH  SPURGEON  "  of  Europe,  of  whom  D.  L.  Moody  has  said:  "  He  is 
the  greatest  preacher  in  the  world."  A  most  clear,  vivid,  earnest  and 
life-like  presentation  of  Gospel  Truth;  sincerely  and  decidedly  spiritual. 
A  ir.ost  edifying,  instructive  and  entertaining  volume  for  young  and  old. 


EDISON  AND  HIS  INVENTIONS:  278  page*.  Containing 
full  illustrated  explanations  of  the  new  and  wonderful  Pho 
nograph,  Telephone,  Electric  Light,  and  all  his  principal 
inventions,  in  Edison's  own  language,  generally,  including 
many  incidents,  anecdotesand  interesting  particulars  connect 
ed  with  the  earlier  and  later  life  of  the  world-renowned 
inventor,  trgether  with  a  full  Electrical  Dictionary,  explain 
ing  all  of  the  new  electrical  terms;  making  a  very  entertain 
ing  and  valuable  book  of  the  life  and  works  of  Edison. 
Profusely  illustrated. 


GEMS  OF  TRUTH  AND  BEAUTY.  A  choice  selection 
of  wise,  eloquent  extracts  from  Talmage,  Beecher,  Moody 
Spurgeon,  Guthrie  and  Parker,  forming  a  volume  thai 
keenly  interests.  A  good  gift  and  center  table  book 
300  pages.  Illustrated 


standard  Publications,  $1  each,  hound  in  Cloth 


TEN  YEARS  A  COW  BOY.  A  full  and  vivid  de 
scription  of  frontier  life,  including  romance,  advent 
ure  and  all  the  varied  experiences  incident  to  a  life 
on  the  plains  as  co\v  boy,  stock  owner,  rancher,  etc., 
together  with  articles  on  cattle  and  sheep  raising, 
how  to  make  money,  description  of  the  plains,  etc., 
etc.  Illustrated  with  100  full-page  engravings,  anc? 
contains  reading  matter  471  pages. 

WILD  LIFE  IN  THE  FAR  WEST.     By  C.   H.   Simpson,    a  resident 
detective,  living  in  this  country.   Giving  a  full  and  graphic  account 
of  his  thrilling  adventures  among  the  Indians  and  outlaws  of  Mon- 
:ana— including  hunting,  hair-breadth  escapes,  captivity,  punishment  and 
lifficulties  of  all  kinds  met  with  in  this  wild  and  lawless  country.     Illus 
trated  by  30  full  page  engravings,  by  G.  S.  Littlejohn,  and  contains  read 
ng  matter  264  pages. 

A  YANKEE'S  ADVENTURES  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA.     (In  the  dia 
mond  country.)    By  C.  H.  Simpson.   Giving  the  varied  experiences 
adventu  es,   dangers  aad  narrow  escapes   of  a  Yankee  seeking  his 
fortune  in  this  wild  country,  which  by  undaunted  courage,  perseverance, 
suffering,   fighting  and  adventures  of  various  sorts  is  requited  at  last  by 
the  ownership  of  the  largest  diamond  taken  out  of  the  Kimberly  mines 
up  to  that  time,  and  with  the  heart  and  hand  of  the  fairest  daughter  of  a 
diamond  kin<r.     Containing  30  full-page  illustrations  by  H.  DeLay  and 
reading  matter  220  pages. 


WIT.  Contains  sketches  from  Mark  Twain,  witticisms 
from  F.  H.  Carruth,  Donglas  Jerrold,  M.  Quad,  Op  e 
Reid,  Mrs.  Partington,  Eli  Perkins,  O'Malley,  Bill 
Nj'e,  Artemus  Ward,  Abe  Lincoln,  Burdette,  Daniel 
Webster,  Victor  Hugo,  Brother  Gardner,  Clinton 
Scollnrd,  Tom  Hood,  L.  R.  Catlin,  Josh.  Billings, 
Chauncey  Depew  and  all  humorous  \\riters  of  mod 
ern  times.  Illustrated  with  75  full  page  engravings, 
by  H.  DeLay,  and  contains  reading  matter  407  pages. 

BENONI  AND  SERAPTA.      A  Story  of  the  Time  of  the  Great  Con 
stantine,  Founder  of  the  Christian  Faith.     By  Douglas  Vernon.    A 
religious  novel    showing  a  Parsee's   constancy  and   faith    through 
many  persecutions,    trials  and  difficulties,   placed  in  his  way  by  priests, 
nobles  and  queens  of  his  time  and  his  final  triumph  over  all  obstacles 
Being  an   interesting  novel,  int  nded   to  show    the  state  of  the  religious 
feelings  and  unscrupulous  intrigues    of  those  professing  religion  at  the 
time  of  the  foundation  of  the  Christian  faith.     Illustrated  with  33  full 
Cage  engravings,  by  H    DeLay,  and  contains  reading  matter  389  pages 


Standard  Publications,  $1.00  each,  Cloth-bound. 


STORIES  FOR  THE  LITTLE  ONES 
AT  HOME.  320  pages.  ' '  This  hand 
somely  illustrated  book  has  been  com 
piled  and  arranged  by  one  who  is  best 
able  to  tell  what  is  good  for  the  instruc 
tion  and  amusement  of  the  children."— 
A  MOTHER.  Many  of  the  rhymes  are 
original,  but  a  large  number  are  old 
favorites  that  will  interest  the  old  folk 
as  reminiscences  of  their  childhood 
days.  The  illustrations  are  numerous 
and  designed  to  amuse  and  interest  the 
little  ones  at  home. 

They  are  idols  of  home  and  of  households; 

They  are  Angels  of  God  in  disguise. 

His  sunlight  still  sleeps  in  their  tresses; 

His  glory  still  gleams  in  fhcir  eyes. 

GEMS  OF  POETRY.     407  pages.    Finely  illustrated.    Contains  a  very 
choice  and  varied  selection  of  our  most  popular,  beautiful  and  time- 
honored  poems,  written  by    the    poets    of  all  ages   and  climes.      A 
magnificent  gift    book  for  a  friend;  a  splendid  book  for  the  holidays;  ap 
propriate  for  a  birthday  or  wedding  present;  a  fine  center-table  book,  in 
teresting  to  all. 


WEBSTER'S  UNABRIDGED  DICTIONARY 

This  Dictionary 
contains  every  word 
that  Noah  Webster 
ever  defined,  and 
the  following 

Special 

Features 

An      Appendix     of 

fo,ooo  Additional 

Words. 
A    List    of    Jj,pf>o 

Synonyms, 


Pronouncing      Vo 
cabularies  of 

SCRIPTURE  NAMES 
GREEB  AND  LATIN 
PROPER  NAMES 
MODERN 

GEOGRAPHICAL 
NAMES. 

A  Dictionary  of 
Mercantile  and  Le 
gal  Terms.  Eighty- 
six  pages  of  illus 
trations,  portraying 
over  3,000  objects 
difficult  to  discribe 
in  words.  The 
Flags  of  all  Nations 
in  Colors. 

Size  10^x8^x3^  inches;  weight  about  y><  Ibs;  1,700  • . -.  >es, 
illustrated.  Strongly  and  durably  bound  in  three  styles. 

HALF    RUSSIA  ....  PRICE,  &3.OO 

FULL  SHEEP PRICE,  $4.OO 

SPECIAL  TAN  SHEEP.  .  .  PRICE,  $5. OO 

THUMB   INDEX    SO  CENTS   EXTRA. 

This  Dictionary  also  contains  a  frontispiece  portrait  of  Noah 
Webster;  author's  preface;  a  memoir  of  the  English  language;  rules  for 
pronunciation,  etc.,  etc. 

Printed  on  good  grade  of  clear  white  paper,  and  especial  care  is 
taken  with  the  binding.  For  the  sheep  binding  a  beautiful  cover  design 
was  made. 

RHODES  &  McCLURE  PUBLISHING  CO. 

296  WABASH  AVENUE,    CHICAGO,    ILL. 


DATE  DUE 


A     000631  198 


